Time To Go Home
Neal aka Nachum
This was my second trip to
Israel. My first was a "places" tour,
given by a well-known teacher. This time we were on a "people"
tour, designed specifically to let us meet and interact with our
brothers. This was very different from a "places" tour and was
even more different for me. I showed up sick and got sicker as
the tour progressed. I ended the tour with a trip to the
emergency room on the day I was to depart, spending a couple days in
the hospital. Given my health, I did not have the opportunity to
explore as much as others. I had to focus on what was right in
front of my face.
As I said already, this was a tour to
meet the people of the
land. Our meetings were with those referred to as "settlers",
both those who are living in settlements and those who have been moved
out of settlements. In the short time we tried to
understand some of the challenges these people face, and what they want
to accomplish. We also met with the Druze, and got a brief
introduction to their history and love for Israel. Their request
to us was that we not forget them. Some of us left with a special
place for these wonderful people in our hearts.
Besides meeting with citizens of
Israel, we also met with
leaders. We met with those who are in the Knesset and those who
we believe will be in the Knesset. We discovered that while these
leaders do understand who b'nai Ephraim are in the way Torah describes,
they do not entirely understand the broad diversity within b'nai
Ephraim. The obvious lesson to me is we need to spend more time
together.
The question for us is whether we will take
advantage of this opportunity to serve our brother Judah in the land of
Israel. We will have the opportunity to enter as a
community. Do not squander, ignore, or reject it. But also
do not move blindly. Make a move plan. Visit the land to
determine where you want to live, how you can contribute, and to line
up
a job. If you can, start your own business there. Be ready
for your standard of living to drop. Food and consumer goods are
more expensive, and taxes are higher to pay for their socialized economy.
Whatever you do, remember that we are
living in exile. If we are
anywhere but in the land of Israel we are in a land of
punishment. But the time of exile is ending, and it is time to
return to our home. For those who have forgotten how a remnant
came out of Babylon the first time, in his first year of rule over
Persia Koresh sent whoever was willing back to Jerusalem.
Zerubbabel was the leader and 42,360 followed him into the
land. This was a remnant. You get a picture of how
small a remnant it was when you read the book of Ruth and realize that most of Judah was spread throughout the land in communities. After Ruth
was written, the exiles continued to flourish. A second, much
smaller group followed Ezra to Jerusalem during the rule of
Artahshashta. Consider that in both times the people of Judah
were leaving a more comfortable existence in Babylon to a difficult
time in Judah, a land filled with interlopers who did not want them
coming back. (Sound familiar?) Nehemyah
returned during this time and was the royal governor while he was
there. Nehemyah had the king's permission to rebuild Jerusalem's
walls. He and Ezra both had periods where they had to rebuke the
people for falling away from Torah.
YHVH was with them, but there were no
demonstrative
miracles like the ten plagues causing them to be driven out. Instead, they
were granted favor. We will be granted favor by the Israeli
government, and will have to persevere in the face of attacks from people in the surrounding
lands. We do not know when this opportunity will end
and when YHVH will decide that the remnant is enough, but His
earlier example shows that the remnant will be small. The rest
may have to wait for the second Exodus. We are
being given some time, but we should not procrastinate.
