Leaving...on a jet plane...

Ahhh...summer vacation.  I won't lie...it's one of the perks of being a teacher (and we MORE than earn it!).  Having said a rather adorable goodbye to my flock of third grade graduates, I'm ready to leap into summer mode.  For me, that means that in less than 48 hours, I will be on a plane...to Eretz Yisrael.

To the extent that it is possible to be in love with a place, I am in love with Israel.  The land there calls to me like nowhere else I've ever been...a few days spent hiking in the Negev or the Golan is my idea of pure delight.  I also find myself firmly attached to its people.  Over the years I've built up quite a collection of friends in Israel, people who know my heart in ways that others don't.  Let this be a warning to my "chevre":  you have a whole year's worth of hugs coming at you!

I think another thing I love about Israel is what happens to me inside myself while I am there.  Israel (and Israelis!) challenge me and push me to grow in ways that are a lot harder to target at home, for whatever reason.  When I think about going to Israel, I often think of that classic moment when Hashem tells Abraham, "Lech lecha...go forth...to the land that I will show you."  Closer examination of Hashem's words helps me to understand why going to Israel is so powerful for me.

"Lech" can be interpreted as "proceed," as in continuing on one's journey.  In Abraham's case, he is traveling from his homeland toward an unknown destination.  Abraham's willingness to leave his familiar territory and be guided by Hashem is what allows his growth to happen.  For me, picking up and traveling to a different country certainly does give me some momentum toward change, and I think this effect is strengthened because the place where I am going has such a strong sense of Hashem's presence.  When I am at home, surrounded by the same people and the same places day after day, it is easy for me to get into routines that are comfortable but do not challenge me.  I can travel the same well-worth paths but have a hard time finding the energy to turn myself in new directions.  In Israel, not only are my concrete surroundings different, but I feel I am more directly connected to Hashem.  I can feel His guidance more keenly and can use His energy to push myself along on my journey in ways that I might not have been brave enough to attempt otherwise.  

I have also been told that "lech lecha" can be translated literally as, "go to yourself."  In other words, Hashem is telling Abraham to get in touch with his core.  When I am in Israel, I sense that parts of myself that are ordinarily closed off become open and accessible.  Israel reconnects me to my adventurous self, which is so often overshadowed by the practical and responsible self that dominates my life from September through June.  Israel also brings me in touch with my spiritual core, which is nourished in that land in a way that it rarely is elsewhere.  Being in Israel for an extended period of time doesn't magically clarify my life, but it does give me an opportunity to shine some light on parts of my being that I don't often have time and space to examine. 

Every time I go to Israel, I always hope that I will be noticeably more "evolved" than I was on my previous trip.  This time is no exception--I hope that on this trip to Israel I will find myself able to be open in ways that last summer I was not, that the work I've done on recovery over the past year will allow me to experience the land and people I love more fully than before.  I am sure that in some ways this will happen, and in other ways I'll find that I still have work to do.  Regardless, I am looking forward to a beautiful adventure...and hopefully will find time to blog about it while I'm there!