Giving Thanks to The Land of Israel
by Mendel Jacobson
Though the reasons for thanking you are endless, and no matter how many times I do thank you there will always be another and another thank you to be said, nevertheless, here are 20 ways I have found to begin thanking you for all that you are and all that you make me.
20. Thank you for your shuks, makolets, kiosks and boutiques, where the customer is always wrong but the experience is always right.
19. Thank you for your adventurous transportation: the ever-presumptuous bus drivers and the never subtle (or boring) taxi rides.
18. Thank you for the cool beauty of your mountains in the Golan and the hot passion of your deserts in the Negev.
17. Thank you for making Shabbat more than just another day, more than just another experience – thank you for making Shabbat a peaceful reality.
16. Thank you for the Kotel, the Western Wall, where all the sparks dance in one fiery flame and all the questions seem to be answered.
15. Thank you for your people, the enigmatic Sabra, so prickly on the outside, so sweet on the inside.
14. Thank you for your falafel shops and shawarma stands, where you come only to get an innocent bite to eat but leave with a whole new perspective on life.
13. Thank you for your sunrises – turning night into day – and your sunsets – turning brick into gold.
12. Thank you for your holy beggars, who give much more than they can ever take.
11. Thank you for your cobblestone streets, trodden by High Priests and peddlers alike, walked by black-coated Meah Shearimites and nose-ringed Tel Avivians, all walking different paths, all heading in the same direction.
10. Thank you for helping me cry – cry for all the innocents who have suffered.
9. Thank you for making me smile – smile for all the hope you bring.
8. Thank you for the clear waters of your oceans reflecting the clear blue of your skies reflecting the clear purity of your holiness.
7. Thank you for your flowing milk and honey – your nourishment that nurtures my body, your sweetness that lifts-up my spirit.
6. Thank you to your heroic, green-clad sons and daughters for protecting the Holy Land and the Jewish People. Thank you for defending what is true and sacred.
5. Thank you for the past – the history that permeates your every breath and stone.
4. Thank you for the present – the today that lives and learns from the past.
3. Thank you for the future – the promise that grows ever closer and closer.
2. Thank you for being my consciousness, for reminding me who I am and why I am here.
1. Thank you just for being – for being my heart, my soul, my home.
Thank you.
Mendel Jacobson is a 23-year-old writer, poet and journalist working for The Algemeiner Journal. Mendel’s education has found him in New York, Budapest and Jerusalem and he has been blogging for close to 3 years at jakeyology.blogspot.com
The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.