Lee Diamond – “Live In” Judaism
It was a mistake
It was our tragedy
It was a self induced
And self caused
The Exile!
Exile is not a value
Exile Is failure
Exile Is punishment
Exile is distance
From our natural environment
From the “Divine Face”
“Because of our sins
We were exiled from our land”
God hides his Face from us
From the exiled
Yet some Jews have transformed
This Exile into a value
They dismiss their distance
From the Source
And from our roots
As equal to
Or better
Than our national home
In fact they prefer Exile
To the center
To the Source
Some even prefer the
Lands of our shame
To the land with our Name
And the land of THE NAME
Are we “Blocks”
Are we “Stones”
Are we “less than senseless things?”
Why do we hide behind
Foolish notions
From the modern miracle
Of the redemption
By God and Israel
Of Eretz Israel and Medinat Yisrael?
Exile has proved itself
Unworthy
Exile fails
Exile is destructive to us
Exile is assimilation
Exile causes our deterioration
Exile is inauthentic
Exile is meant to end
Not to be glorified
By self deceiving justifications
The Succah reminds us of impermanence
In order to value and return to
The permanent
We don’t glorify the impermanent
But appreciate the permanent!
Fellow Jews
As God says
“Return to Me
And I will return to you”
You have no idea
What you are missing!
It’s “Live In”
Judaism
pic: Haaretz.com
