For the Lord comforts Zion; he comforts all her waste places and makes her wilderness like Eden, her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of song. Isaiah 51:3
One of my friends once joked, “Jews have a blessing for everything!” We laughed at the time, but it’s true.
do know that I’ve never felt safer than when I am in Israel. Because it truly is the Holy Land and because I am right where God wants me to be, there is an incredible sense of peace as you walk the land.
There is something very innate about wanting to create a space or shelter for ourselves. This is why I’ve always liked the holiday of Sukkot. During this week-long festival we get to live in temporary huts topped with branches and often beautifully decorated with artwork, flowers, and foliage.
The first month of the Jewish year is always an exciting one. Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, catapults us right into a festive celebration of this year’s potential – we say special prayers, we blow the shofar, and we eat special foods that symbolize the blessings we hope to benefit from and bring with us into the new year.
Don’t come to Israel just for the food – the Bible will come alive for you in Israel and I must say that is a far more important reason to come than the food. But I have to admit – food runs a close second!
The last month of the Jewish year, called Elul in Hebrew, is upon us. As the last month of the year, and the last month before the High Holidays, Elul is a time of self-reflection, a time to look inward and take mental stock of the year.
Feeling the presence of God in the Land of Israel is something that defies logic. God said that it was His Holy Mountain, and it is still His Holy Mountain. My personal belief is that if God hadn’t chosen Israel, we would never hear of this tiny strip of land on the coast of the Mediterranean! It wouldn’t be fought over, it wouldn’t be contested, and it would never make front page news. And yet it is. An area that is 50 miles wide and 200 miles long is in the news every single day!
Perhaps we are the generation who will, finally, put an end to anti-Semitism, to hatred within the Jewish people, to intolerance and bigotry. Perhaps we will be the ones leading by example, teaching others how to counteract baseless hatred and come together in love. Perhaps we will be the ones to build the Third and final Temple. Perhaps we can bring an end to the loss. Perhaps.
In just one afternoon, I’d fallen in love with the strong pioneering attitude of the residents, the winding roads and lush greenery and bright homes, and the magnificent sunset panoramas of Einav. It is a place so vital to the pumping heartbeat of the Biblical Heartland, and a place well worth protecting.