5/13/14
The truth is that every moment of every hour of every day is
unique. And the uniqueness of each of these moments, hours, and days, increases
exponentially when we consider the uniqueness that resides within each and
every one of us. But things really get interesting when, amidst this undeniable
uniqueness, we discover profound commonality. Today was a unique day, in large
part because we were consistently confronted with the profound commonality of
the human experience. So I ask you, “What do all of these things have in
common?”
1.
Visiting the Israeli Air Force museum we learned
about the history of Israel through the stories of heroism and hardship. As we
stood among the field of silent aircraft and listened to the story of a tragic
Israeli helicopter accident in 1997 that claimed the lives of 73 combat
soldiers on their way to the front in Lebanon we were witness to a training
operation during which at least 10 jets circled overhead and landed right in
front of us. Surely the next generation of heroes stands on the shoulders of
those who came before. As inspired as we were by this demonstration of power,
we reminded ourselves that Israel would gladly exchange every fighter jet for
an El-Al plane and every training operation for a group of tourists. Today
Israel lives the paradox of being the nation that sends its sons and daughters
into harms way while singing “Lo Yisa Goy…” (“Nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, nor study war anymore.”)
2.
We ate
lunch in the biggest mall in the Middle East. As you might imagine, the kids
had a terrible time.
3.
Morah Sigal arranged a special visit to the
Hagar school in Beersheva. It took us a bit of time to find the school as it is
located in a dilapidated building in a run down part of Beersheva. We all can
imagine the American equivalent. The school’s facilities and resources are
scant, but the Hagar school’s mission as well as it’s kehillah are robust and beautiful. The Hagar school’s mission is to
educate Jewish and Arab children together so that our future will be brighter
than our past. A courageous group of 5th and 6th graders
met and spoke with us. Our kids asked great questions. Then we broke into groups and joined in after
school activities with about 100 of their kids of all ages. Some of our kids
played chess (imagine Jared C. and Isaac W. sacrificing a pawn to defeat a
couple of 4th grade Arab girls!), others did cooking (imagine Maquie
W. and Val L. helping crush dates and graham crackers), some played soccer
(imagine Jason Z. yelling “GOAL” and Adam S. and Scott L. showing off their
footwork), some did hip hop, and others did drama. We didn’t want to leave and
they didn’t want us to go. And the best part is that all of these activities
and relationships were established in HEBREW.
4.
Driving from Beersheva to Jerusalem meant that
we were following the footsteps of Abraham. According to the Torah Abraham and
Isaac set out from Beersheva and headed to Mt. Moriah so that Abraham could
offer Isaac as a sacrifice. It took them 3 days but it only took us about 2
hours. We entered Jerusalem listening to a great Matisyahu song called,
“Jerusalem” and made our way to the Haas Promenade (or tayelet) where we had a “Sheheyanu Ceremony.” Standing in a semi
circle, overlooking the entire city, with the Dome of the Rock shining in the
sun we once again sang Shehehiyanu and had a sip of grape juice. Then we danced
and sang, hugged and laughed, and even took a picture or two. The next time we will sing Shehehiyanu will be at graduation.
I suppose there are many ways to answer the question, “What
do all of these things have in common?” The answer that makes sense in the
context of this trip as it is being experienced by our kids and chaperones is
that all of these experiences point to our common humanity. We woke up in the
desert, experienced the extremes of military might and peaceful coexistence, we
visited sites both modern and ancient, interacted with people of all ages
including total strangers and close friends, we played sports, danced, cooked,
and played chess, we offered words of blessing, and stood on one of the most
iconic mountain tops in human history--- and it all made sense without ever having
to be made explicit. I’d say we couldn’t have planned a day like today except
that we did. What’s surprising is how a day of such disparate activities
actually makes perfect sense.
I’ll end this post by sharing a blessing that’s commonly
recited in the morning, “Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech Haolam, pokeiach
ivrim.” (“Thank you God, for opening the eyes of the blind.”) Our kids are
greeting each new day and each new experience with open eyes, open minds, open
ears, and open hearts. Whether this openness is a gift from God, a conscious
decision, or a total coincidence doesn’t matter—it’s a blessing and something
that they will carry with them when they leave Israel and graduate from Davis. En route to Jerusalem we observed that some people
go to a prayer service, leave, and say, “That didn’t do anything for me.”
Others go to the same prayer service, leave, and say, “That was nourishing and fulfilling.”
I am confident that by the time we get to Tel Aviv on Sunday every person on
this trip will say, “I went to Jerusalem with open eyes, an open mind, open
ears, and an open heart.” Jerusalem may be Israel’s and the world’s greatest
teacher and our kids, as of this moment, are without a doubt, the world’s
greatest students. It’s a match made in heaven. Trust me, I’m here to witness
it and even if we don’t get all the pictures up on Flickr rest assured that Jerusalem
will be inscribed on our memory cards and in our hearts.
Rabbi Micah
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