t-17 hours…
Today is our last day in the United States before leaving for Israel on aliyah. From Toledo we went to Washington DC and visited friends and took the kids on the “Nation’s Capitol” tour – lots of time at the Smithsonian as well as a tour of the capitol and various monuments. Seemed a very appropriate way to say good bye to America. Stopped in Pennsylvania for a 4th of July party with some friends, and then on to New York to say farewell to assorted friends and family.
This past Shabbat we stayed with a friend in Stamford, CT, I gave a talk at Temple Beth El about our upcoming aliyah. Rabbi Hammerman gave a nice introduction playing off the verses in last week’s parsha (Pinchas) that talk about Moses being gathered to his people: “And the Lord said to Moses, Get up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given to the people of Israel. And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother was gathered.” It is indeed a tremendous merit that unlike Moses I not only get to see Israel, I not only get to visit Israel, but I actually get to live there!
Unfortunately my mother caught some kind of bug late last week, and I came down with it over Shabbat. I’m feeling better today, thank God. It would not be any fun to try and deal with flying to Israel with three kids while fighting the flu. Tonight we’re in a hotel near JFK airport; first thing in the morning I’ll drop the car off at freight forwarder’s in the Bronx, and we’ll be on our way! God willing, my next post to the blog will be from Israel.
Reb Barry
