“Eretz Israel sheli yafa vegam porachat”

For those who did not learn that song when you were little kids at school, this song means “My Land of Israel is beautiful and blooming”.

The reason I did not write last month’s blog is because I was pretty busy preparing for one of the most important steps in my life: I made aliyah! Just before Pesach. I came back to Israel just for aviv-spring time, the time of blooming. Being honest, one of the hard things of leaving Chile, was to leave its natural wonders (just to mention an example, from my window, I could enjoy the view of the Andes every single day). That’s why I feel so blessed for getting here just in time for experiencing the colorful Israeli spring. It’s true, nature in Chile is huge and awesome, but I just feel that in Israel nature is more real, more blessed, more holly and definitely more related to us. It’s as if G-d is saying to us: look at this beautiful color that I just created for you”. Actually we have a blessing to say on chodesh (month) Nissan: Birkat Hailanot, the blessing on the trees. We need to find two fruit trees blooming and then bless G-d “for nothing lacking in His universe, and He created in it good creatures and good trees, to cause mankind pleasure in them”. Before my aliyah, I went back to Chile for three months (I was living in Israel before, for almost a year). And you know what? I was so exited to be able to enjoy again the view from my window, those overwhelming mountains, but something was missing. I know that this is also G-d’s creation, but the sense of holiness just was not there, as clear as it could be while experiencing sunset in Tzfat, facing the hills of Meron, or anywhere else in this holly land.

Next week we are living Iom Hatzmahut, Israel’s Independence Day. On this day, most of the population go out on outdoor activities, mostly barbeques. It means that our parks could end up being cover by garbage. Thus, I invite you all, all of us in Israel(or if you live overseas, you could take and implement this message in the merit of Eretz Israel, by taking care of your local parks), to increase our awareness next Tuesday on our outdoor behaviors. Think twice before throwing garbage to the floor and please spread the message, helping us to enjoy a clean “Eretz Israel sheli yafa vegam porachat”.

Shabat Shalom

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