What responsibility and commitment look like

It’s hard to describe how my heart is filling with both sadness and pride right now.

Life in Israel is when your bar mitzvah teacher, a newly wed who grew up around the corner from your new home, is stationed far away for his miluim, and you still learn together.

Your bar mitzvah is coming up and time goes on and even though there are those who say “the w*r is over” you learn to read your parsha on WhatsApp video with your teacher who is currently in Lebanon.

He warns you about the sounds you might hear and that everything will be okay and then you sing through the teamim together and work through the challenging passukim in the text.

And this after a week where your school was reeling from losing an alum who was k*lled in G*za, and your friend is learning how to wrap his new teffilin for the first time, you’re 12 and processing what it means to be an Israeli man.

What is asked of you.

What responsibility and commitment look like.

What being a member of this beautiful community looks like.

How we choose life and living always.

How we move forward and through, while holding on to the love we have for our people.

Even when there is loss.

Even when it’s hard.

There are so many unseen aspects to this life.

And so much holiness.