Is it not enough that we’ve been dragged out by the Babylonians, murdered by the Romans, and oppressed by the British who wouldn’t let us come home after we’d survived the unthinkable?
Why are we holding on to this land? Can’t we choose another one? What about Uganda? Alaska? Madagascar?
Why do we call this place our HOME?
Because it’s more than just a Sukkot Getaway and diverse culture.
It’s a fusion of the mundane and the holy, of the spiritual and the physical worlds. Moses only dreamed of performing G-d’s holy commandments in the promised land, because he understood that the spiritual growth we experience in this land are not in spite of the physicality, but because of it. From the luscious fruits of the land to the corners of the wheat fields, everything in this land not only holds so much holiness, but inspires our very own spiritual journeys.
It’s a beacon of light for a nation that often finds itself in the most bitter of turmoil.
A nucleus of vibrant Jewish life, Jewish continuity.
A pillar of the Torat Yisrael in a world that continues to lose itself each day. The land that brings an age old book to life. Ki Mitzion Tetzei Torah, OoDvar Hashem Meyerushalayim. A land that makes our people, and our Torah, LIVE ON.
It’s a symbol of remarkable courage, determination. A country constantly under attack and so much the subject of those who seek to destroy us, yet one that never ceases to give back to the world in infinite ways.
It’s the very land that makes each and every one of us so incredibly proud to be a Jew. A land that gives the Jewish people a sense of faith, a sense of mission. KiEar Shechubrah Lo Yachdav. A call for solidarity, a reason to hope strong and dream on. Because no matter what hat we wear, we stand proud-shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, and heart to heart when it comes to the land that every Jew can call HOME.
Its the land we’ve cherished for thousands of years. The land we dream of, the land we pray for, the land we will never forget. The land on our hearts and on our minds at every hour of every day. The land we come from, but most importantly, the land to which we WILL return.
It’s the land that reminds us that we’ve strayed far from home for far too long. That no matter how comfortable we may feel, we just don’t belong anywhere but HERE. HOME.
It’s a place of refuge for the Jewish people, a country that never closes its doors.
It’s a culmination of nearly 3000 years of our people’s history. A brilliant testimony to the never-ending struggle of our nation, yet a beacon of hope for a people so small, yet forever strong, a people that will continue to LIVE ON.
A Member of the English Parliament once asked Chaim Weizmann, the first President of Israel, “Why do you Jews insist on Palestine when there are so many underdeveloped countries you could settle more easily?”
His answer?
“That’s like asking why you drove twenty miles to visit your grandmother when there are so many old ladies living right on your street.”
My friends, you didn’t just travel twenty miles to visit your grandmother. You’ve trekked 6,000 to return home.