Eikev 5773: Bringing Back the Wonder of Israel

Olim celebrate new Israel ID cards.

Israel is an exciting place:  Just as I arrived about ten days ago, a plane load of new immigrants (olim) from the United States landed at Ben Gurion airport.  Over half of those on board were children.  All kinds of people were on board:  Orthodox families, secular singles, retirees and students.

Watching the news that day brought me back to my own arrival in Israel as a new immigrant:  I stepped off the plane with my husband and my 16 month-old daughter.  I knew some rudimentary Hebrew and had visited Israel a number of times over the last few years.  My husband's parents and grandparents and sisters had moved to Israel, so we had the benefit of immediate family, as well as extended family all over the country.  With all that, I still had a tremendous amount to learn, and a tremendous amount to assimilate.  

The magic and the privilege of living in Jerusalem never really wore off.  But every day sights that would stop me in my tracks ... like a glimpse of the Old City Walls while standing at a city bus stop ... became part of the unnoticed everyday landscape.  Getting on that bus and hearing Hebrew and Spanish and French and Russian and English and Amharic and Hebrew used to elevate the ride, bringing home to me the face that Israel is home to Jews from all over the world.  Then, I stopped seeing my fellow bus passengers so much, engrossed in figuring out how to get my errands before and still be on time to pick up my kids from pre-school.

Watching the news of this plane load of new olim brought it all back to me.  I was happy for them, thinking of all that awaits them:  the magic of those glimpses of the old and the new, of breathing in the air of the one place on earth that is our place.  I was even happy for them for all the challenges that await:  learning the Israeli children's stories and songs, figuring out how to navigate through the Israeli bureaucracy of  Ministry of the Interior and the municipal tax office.

This week's Torah portion, Eikev, includes Moses' exhortations to our wilderness-wandering ancestors on the eve of their entrance into the land of our matriarchs and patriarchs: remember God's gifts of Torah and manna; keep true to the commitments and inspirations of Torah no matter what distractions and temptations your neighbors may offer you; don't forget to stop and enjoy the beauties and blessings of our land; be prepared for lots of difference of opinions and public debate ... just don't lose sight of the essentials.

If you've never been to Israel, perhaps it's time to plan a visit to experience this for yourself.  If you have been to Israel, then think about coming back to recharge your spiritual batteries.  It will work during the week we read Parashat Eikev, or any other time!

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