
Leah’s Blog Nov 20th 2015
Leah’s Blog – November 20, 2015
I pulled out our living room windows today. I was right in the middle of the frenzy of this day, like any other Friday – pots simmering on the stove, trays of hot things getting too crispy in the oven, not all the groceries even all put away yet. But I had the urge to see the view more clearly, a luxury only a remnant have, standing in the bleachers of the great stadium of where all of these portions of the week really happened. We live right here, in view of the lay of the land – The Land. Facing the mountains of the Blessing and the Curse, I always like to tell people “A mountain of course can never be cursed.” Today I hear my own echo and contemplate trying not to spy on it but feast my eyes on it and its blessing.
It is not easy to climb the rungs of the ladder that connects Heaven to this dwelling place below. We that live in the Land never say die, keeping the faith and putting a bold face on. We say the Land is good, very very good. But there are times that there is Hester Panim. Like Yaakov Avinu, we know that there is no letting off easy. It’s hard to climb this ladder because there is no skipping and you need the perfect balance to maintain your grip on it without falling off. If you give it all, you fall off. If you hold back, you loose. Straddling complete chesed and total Judgement, Yaakov achieved the perfect balance. He was Shalem, complete in the combination of both and reached the top of the ladder. Old Chinese folklore teaches that a lack of balance is the cause for all illness.
We are living in miraculous times. Everything that people ever said were impossible are possible and happening right here right now as the Land becomes more and more alive. It was only in my own parent’s time that the bulldozing of the bones of millions of our people into mass graves meant for the world “Where is their G-d now?” Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael is in a state (Tartey Mashmah) that has completely gone beyond logical dimensions. We still have so many challenges ahead. This is not a time for indifference or remaining unbothered or unmoved.
Jonathan Pollard is out on Parshat Vayeitzey- how apropos. Yaakov didn’t make it home right away either as he had more “tikkunim” to experience before reaching Shalem and buying it for an everlasting inheritance. So too will Jonathan, but as my mom Z”L used to say, a door is closed in your face and Hashem opens a window!”
Shabbat Shalom, Leah Goldsmith
2 Comments
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Janet T.
Hello Leah, I was part of the group that came to visit with Gil Pentzak and Ruth Fazal. Have arrived safely home and wanted to say hello and let you have my email address if you want to send prayer requests. Would be honored to join with you in prayer for whatever requests you have. Be blessed, Janet
Evelyn
As we suffer the negatives we are climbing the ladder and merit the positives because created good for good. Good Shabbos. We live . Am Israel chai. Our