I saw war today

I saw war today.
I felt the ground tremble.
Last night I couldn't sleep because of the noise of explosions.
I am leading a 3 week "hike and explore" trip for a group of thirty 25(ish) year olds. We were staying at our campus up north in Tsfat.
A Beautiful coble-stone sleepy town where Kabalah originated.
Its the place I always go to to get away from the noise of the cities.
Its where I go for some peace.
From our balcony we could see a mountain on fire.
Cobra and Apache Helicopters flying overhead.
Every few minutes, a deep, rumbling BOOM....

We decided early this morning to move our group out of Tsfat even though there had Not been a terrorist attack or missile attack there in over 25 years. An hour after we left, the missiles exploded in Tsfat. An absorption center for new Imigrants where I volunteer sometimes, got hit. One Died, many wounded.

My friends who stayed in Tsfat and who live there heard the shriek of the impending missiles and then the crash of the impact, as they scampered with their families to the bomb shelters.

On our way to Jerusalem, we stopped near Tibereas on the Jordan river (at the place where they say JC was baptized). We were passing around a talking stick and having a sharing circle, when we learned that Haifa had been hit with longer range missiles and therefore we were still within missile range. So we packed up and headed to Jerusalem. I felt strange, and almost refugeeish, to leave somewhere because of war. To leave a town I love. To drive away from a sky chard with smoke. To be driving in one direction while gunships headed in the other.

Some of us are ashamed to be called the chosen people. We think its haughty or arrogant. The truth is, one of the main things we've been chosen for is to have it rough. It's never been easy for us Jews, and as soon as it starts getting easy, thats when it gets rough again. The Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Babylonians, Asyrians, Crusaders, The Spanish, The Nazis and now our current adversaries have all come after us. Maybe it's all to keep us sensitive. Maybe to keep us tough. Maybe its a scenario set up to test our faith. I like a teacher of mines idea that once we get our act together as a nation, once we learn to love one another as we would want to be loved, To speak words of kindness, to give what we would want to get, our enemies will desist. Anyway, Its probably worth a try.
Last week I sat with my Chevre(friends) in a Bar-Chochvah dug-out cave where the Jews hid out from the Romans 1700 years ago. Tonight my friend and his wife and four kids are sleeping in a dug out bomb shelter tunnel under their house.

I'm safe now.
War is no longer only something I know of from the TV.
War sucks.
It's the ultimate party pooper.
I hope I never have to smell it again.

The whole entire world, is a very narrow bridge.
I'm not afraid.
I love Ya'll
Pesach