Went on a belated anniversary trip with The Wife this week, 3 days and 2 nights at a Spa here in the Holy Land. It was awesome, chilled by the pool, ate good food, and just spent some nice time catching up with each other after a really hectic year.
The trip was on the whole uneventful, but there was one thing that happened when we cam in which has been sitting with me.
I parked the car and came in to check in, and as is normal in Israel, there was a guard at the door. Before I even had a chance to show him my carry permit, which is required to be shown at the entrance to virtually every building in the country, he stopped me and asked if I had a permit. I answered that of course I do, and showed it to him, but he was still very obviously uncomfortable. I then walked into the reception to check in. After finishing checking in with the very friendly and helpful front desk staff, I was approached by the security guard's supervisor, who again asked to see my id. I showed it to him, but then he said, "what do you plan on doing with your gun while you are here?" Now this is the first time I have ever had a reaction other than enthusiastic support from a security person about citizens that carry, usually when I show my id as I enter a building the reaction I get can vary from a nod and smile to a comment of "glad to see other people take security and safety seriously," from the guards. Without even thinking about it I responded that I was hoping they had a safe in the room that I could just leave it in, because I didn't think that it would work well as a flotation device in the pool." He responded seriously, saying that he would be happy if I left it locked up so the other guests would not feel uncomfortable.
I didn't put much stock into it at the time, but as I left, I thought about this again. that reaction is indicative of a bigger issue that many people suffer from. The idea that we can feel safe if we can just cover up enough, close our eyes enough, not listen to what others say or do, then, if we don't know about it, if the issues are not in front of us, they don't exist. If we don't watch Iran's death to Israel marches, they can be trusted with nuclear technology. That if we don't report on the rock-throwings and fire-bombings on the roads, then there are no injured children, and we have a partner for peace. If nobody sees the gun, then there is no need to protect ourselves.
Unfortunately, this is not how the world really works. The Iranians are going to develop Nuclear weapons, children are being hurt on well travelled roads by rock attacks every week, and unfortunately, we still need violence to combat our enemies. No matter how we try to hide from it, the world is not a safe enough place yet, and the only way to fix that, is to first see the problem that needs to be fixed.
Friday, August 21, 2015
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Living a dream
Aliya is a blessing but not a gift, a gift is something you are given, you don't need to do anything special, it's just something that someone else wanted you to have. A blessing is something that you want, something that you dream of, something that you receive because someone above feels that you may never achieve it on your own, despite your best efforts, but with a little push from on high, your dream can be realized. That is Aliya, the dream of 2000 years, kept alive in your heart, mind, and actions, brought to life, not by you alone but by our father seeing your effort, and your struggle, and saying for some reason only he knows, that a greatness will come from you receiving your dream, and thus his help, because left in your own, no matter your best efforts and intentions it will remain a dream.
This is why Avraham had to go through 10 tests, he could have just been given the child, the land, and the wealth, but in order for his descendants to be more than just children of men, but to be that which history revolves around, to be the chosen people, the eternal nation, he needed to put forth the effort, and then he was blessed with a future that he could never accomplish without spiritual assistance.
That is Aliya, going up, with help, because, for reasons we ourselves may never comprehend, there exists a greater purpose for the nation and the world, something or someone that will come from us, and it won't happen through our efforts alone, but without our efforts, and our dreams, it also will never be.
Even after Avraham arrived here he struggled, just as every oleh does today. He suffered water and shortages that forced him to find work outside the land, he suffered family breakup due to his following what he deemed his righteous path. He had to wander from home to home, struggling for years to find a place he could plant roots. He had cultural differences with his neighbors, suffered through war, and ultimately putting his son's life at risk to follow his dream and his vision. All this, and he didn't even see the true fruits of his labors. The great Jewish commonwealths, the Golden Temples and long lines of people waiting patiently for their turn to off sacrifices of thanksgiving. The great and mighty nation, that was beaten down, only to rise again and again and again, all because a little of his will was planted in each of us, the will that he showed by not giving up on his dream, every time a challenge arose.
Today we face the same challenges, and because of this will, coupled with the help from above that comes to those that demonstrate it, we too, get to live the dream, and even though we still may need to struggle and suffer, as long as we don't give up on our dreams, one day, our descendants will get to look back at their history and say, thank you, it was worth it. Whether we ourselves get to see the lines for the sacrifices of thanksgiving, the golden temple, and the great Jewish commonwealth living in peace in prosperity or just our generations to come receive that opportunity, we know, that because of our dreams and efforts, tears of sorrow and tears of joy that soak this ground under our feet, our names will live forever, in our righteous children.
This is why Avraham had to go through 10 tests, he could have just been given the child, the land, and the wealth, but in order for his descendants to be more than just children of men, but to be that which history revolves around, to be the chosen people, the eternal nation, he needed to put forth the effort, and then he was blessed with a future that he could never accomplish without spiritual assistance.
That is Aliya, going up, with help, because, for reasons we ourselves may never comprehend, there exists a greater purpose for the nation and the world, something or someone that will come from us, and it won't happen through our efforts alone, but without our efforts, and our dreams, it also will never be.
Even after Avraham arrived here he struggled, just as every oleh does today. He suffered water and shortages that forced him to find work outside the land, he suffered family breakup due to his following what he deemed his righteous path. He had to wander from home to home, struggling for years to find a place he could plant roots. He had cultural differences with his neighbors, suffered through war, and ultimately putting his son's life at risk to follow his dream and his vision. All this, and he didn't even see the true fruits of his labors. The great Jewish commonwealths, the Golden Temples and long lines of people waiting patiently for their turn to off sacrifices of thanksgiving. The great and mighty nation, that was beaten down, only to rise again and again and again, all because a little of his will was planted in each of us, the will that he showed by not giving up on his dream, every time a challenge arose.
Today we face the same challenges, and because of this will, coupled with the help from above that comes to those that demonstrate it, we too, get to live the dream, and even though we still may need to struggle and suffer, as long as we don't give up on our dreams, one day, our descendants will get to look back at their history and say, thank you, it was worth it. Whether we ourselves get to see the lines for the sacrifices of thanksgiving, the golden temple, and the great Jewish commonwealth living in peace in prosperity or just our generations to come receive that opportunity, we know, that because of our dreams and efforts, tears of sorrow and tears of joy that soak this ground under our feet, our names will live forever, in our righteous children.
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