WhatsappThe whole world is on lockdown, except for us. It is true there are directives and orders, but out here in the hills of Judea we are free to once again walk and live in the Land of our ancestors – our birthright.
In so many ways it is more than that. The lockdown, while needed represents a sort of mental Egypt. We may need it right now as a society to combat corona, but in many places here in Israel it has become emotionally destructive to young families.
This is exactly why I have tried to take my kids beyond the confines of our house and outward into the hills of our ancestors. Here, we pioneers are not locked in – not confined to the inner destructive forces that crop up within us when we wait, either in front of a computer or stare blankly at one another, hoping pointlessly for the rules change.
No. Here, in the hills of Judea, in the Wilderness of Zif, where King David fled from King Saul, young families graze sheep, build communities and liberate the Land that has been promised to the Nation of Israel, by G-D almighty.
It is here, despite the coronavirus that something amazing is happening – we are returning to ourselves – to our roots – to a sense of freedom we have yearned for.
Rebbe Nachman teaches that there is a special melody connected to the Land of Israel – a symphony of melodies blended by the shepherds of the Land. Here in the hills of Judea we can forget for a moment the pandemic raging around the world and instead listen for the melody we have been searching for.
