I’m writing this from Jerusalem on the 23rd annual men’s mission — it never gets old.
Ironically, there’s virtually no city out there that is as old as Jerusalem so it may seem like an odd expression.
Yet the facts are — as old as it is — it’s as fresh and vibrant as could be.
Earlier today we went to the recently opened National Library of Israel. So much chronicled history, books, artifacts and manuscripts to be found there — yet it was the evocative description of the guide that caught my attention.
“We are a living library”. Bingo!
Jewish life isn’t history. It’s current. Jewish scholarly works aren’t bound books they are Divine wisdom studied, wrestled over but ultimately lived. Life in Israel isn’t mere existence it’s living purposefully.
To be sure, it’s been both an exhilarating week and an emotional one. We’ve celebrated and commiserated in a country that never gets old and in many ways gets younger.
At the end of the day, physical age aside, it’s the vibrancy and vitality of each of our “living libraries” that ensure that the enduring and miraculous nature of Jewish life gets younger and stronger — Am Yisrael Chai!
With best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yehuda & Dina Kantor
P.S. We’ve been distributing funds to different needs and causes — to join the collective Westport Tzedakah fund in Israel — click here.