New investor - to start building a passive income of 5,000$/month

[Barak Shachnovitz]

I am new to BP and new to investing in real estate. I have saved a bit of cash and am looking to buy my first property to rent out - my goal is to build a real estate portfolio that builds my passive income to 5,000$/ month. I live in Israel and I think the best option is to build a rental portfolio, although I am always open to new ideas. 

What I want to know is where is the best to start off? If I am able to put down a down payment of 20% on a 1,250,000$ property or even to buy a few properties is that better than buying something for cheaper and paying out the mortgage faster? Or should I start with a different type of investing in real estate altogether? 

I really appreciate everyones help!