(Courtesy of Freewebs.com)My wife and I returned home Wednesday afternoon from a 30 day learning excursion in Eretz Yisroel. What I really mean to say is we left home to come back to Long Beach after 30 days. As a Jew especially once you have experienced the beauty of Israel, realize that Eretz Yisroel is your home, and wherever you are in Galus is not.
Therefore, for the next 30 days iy"H this blog is going to be very busy. I have so much to write about, and every day was so eventful that it deserves its own post. This initial post serves are a launch pad to express the anticipation before and after our experience and all the trials and tribulations we endured to get there.
Getting to Israel is expensive, and when you get there it doesn't stop. With a weak dollar against the shekel you now have 25% less shekels than you did in 2006. Fuel prices adding hundreds onto plane tickets, rent exploding in Jerusalem. Even before we left the Yetzer Hara was deviously making us want to give up. Unexpected financial burdens and lack of financial help was also fuel in the fire of despair. I knew that I must trust in Hashem and that if I did, not only would we get to Israel but regardless of what happened it would all be to our spiritual benefit.
We sought advice from someone and he told us, "learning in Israel for one week is like learning in Chutzla Artez for one month." Now that I sit here after learning in Eretz Yisroel for one month, I can say that I learned more than six months here in America. I have such a different outlook on life and such a strengthened closeness to Hashem, which I pray such a feeling is mutual.
So please check back and give me your thoughts on my thoughts...
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