I went to Tel Aviv to take my final exam for Ulpan, and my family and I did a bit of exploring there. It’s a relatively big and modern city, much different from where we live here in the pastoral hills of the north. Six months ago today, my family and I made Aliyah. And … Continue reading Seek and Find Your Hidden Gifts
Here I am, with my daughters at the Western Wall. It’s the only place on earth I feel truly at peace, my face pressed against the cool, ancient stone. I pray for my family and friends. I pray for those who asked me to. For their sons, daughters, spouses. For health, for love, for good … Continue reading Connecting at the Kotel
Today we visited the village of Beit Lechem HaGalilit, or Bethlehem of Galilee, a moshav in northern Israel 10 minutes from our home. The name Bethlehem, or Beit Lechem, is Hebrew for ‘House of Bread.’ (Another town of the same name is located in Judea.) The area we visited is mentioned in the Tanach as … Continue reading Holy Donkey!
After Chanukah and our trip to Jerusalem, I felt a dip in spirituality and my overall mood. And that’s okay. I don’t have anything profound to share, nor am I looking for advice. It’s been a decades-long journey of syncing my mind, body and soul. And I usually try to seek G-d, and light, even … Continue reading O my soul, why are you in turmoil within me?
I walked around Yad Vashem amidst the crowds and tours, somewhat detached from what I was seeing, at first. It felt tragically surreal, and I was nauseous. But I assume I was as stone-faced as those around me, trying to grasp what we were experiencing. Until I saw the wooden bunk beds, and across from … Continue reading Visiting Yad Vashem
I cried this morning after walking our son to school. It has been exciting building a new life in the Holy Land, and it’s all starting to come together. And for the first time in my four decades here on Earth—as I walked from his school back home, amidst the buzzing cars and blooming bougainvilleas—I … Continue reading Passing the Torch, One Step at a Time
I was born into my Jewish family in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, around the time modern Americans were celebrating 200 years since Christian pioneers formally took control of the land they conquered from previous inhabitants. Though my religious great-grandparents fled our enemies in Europe and emigrated to the U.S. in the early 1900s, … Continue reading Morasha Kehilla: Why I started using my Hebrew name (full version)
I recently picked out some fresh Israeli olives from a makolet here in the north. In the Torah, the olive is a symbol of holiness, beauty, rejuvenation and peace. The olive is also one of the seven sacred species (shivat minim) of Eretz Yisrael. It’s been 10 weeks since my family and I crossed the … Continue reading Israeli Olives
I awoke at 5:30 am today to the sound of Bedouin men in the neighboring village chanting their prayers (Usually I wake up at 6:30 to the songs of busy yellow-beaked Eurasian blackbirds outside my window and on the roof.). Their chanting was so hauntingly mesmerizing that it gently carried me from asleep to awake… … Continue reading Birthday Blessings
Six weeks ago we made Aliyah. There are ups and downs, mundane and transcendent moments sometimes all mixed up together. Here, in Eretz Yisrael, I can see and feel the glory of G-d with more depth, but I’m still human. There are times when G-d feels hidden, and, during those difficult moments, I am learning … Continue reading Tree, My Teacher
Mindy Morasha 