The newspaper was so different compared to that of Bangalore. The sounds, the smells, the sunshine…home. The people are fundamentally the same, there are so many cultural differences, societal norms the are unique to each country. Like Israelis, the Indians were incredibly hospitable, friendly, and helpful. Without hesitation, we were able to ask and given instructions. One man riding a bicycle asked where we were from and when we said, “Israel,” he smiled and instructed us to go to the newest mall because the old one wasn’t healthy.
After being driven in India for 12 days, it was a pleasure to drive myself but more, it almost felt as if Israeli drivers had suddenly become calmer, were driving more slowly and leaving greater distances between cars than ever before. Of course, that wasn’t the case, but after Indian traffic, the Israeli roads are a pleasure.
I’d gotten used to endless horns honking. The horn in India is an announcement that you are close, that you plan to move a lane, that you don’t plan to move a lane but you want the other person to move. It says you are going too slowly, or too fast; you are too close, or I’m going to be making a right turn from the left lane. The horn is used for so many things. By contrast, I’m not sure I even heard a horn honk this morning here in Israel.
The greatest thing I can say about leaving Israel is the joy you get in coming home, of hearing and seeing and smelling a place that is uniquely yours. The prayers on Shabbat morning seemed to have been written for me; the sun seemed to be shining today just for me. Jerusalem seemed more golden, cleaner, and quieter than ever before.
It is very hard for me to Israel. I am not someone who supports the idea of taking regular family vacations abroad when there are so many wonderful places to visit in Israel. I am blessed that my parents moved here and so I don’t have the obligation of traveling to see them in some distant land.
But without doubt, there is a blessing in leaving Israel…and that is coming home again to see again the wonder of what God has given to us, what we have built, what we continue to sustain. I can only hope that the trick is not in having to leave in order to come back to see Israel anew, but rather learning to recognize this glorious land simply by being here, rising each morning to take the time to look and appreciate the absolute wonder that is Israel.