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Here is the dvar torah I gave at my going away party towards Israel!

Sound and video quality could be better but I think the message can be heard.

Here are some of my thoughts as I move to Israel in the upcoming week:

“The great dreams are the foundation of the world.
There are different levels: The prophets dream- “in a dream will I speak to him.” The poets dream while awake. The great thinkers dream of the rectification of the world. And we dream, all of us, of when “Hashem will restore the return to Zion.””
Rav Avraham Itzhak Hakohen Kook

“It is impossible for an individual Jew to be dedicated and truthful to his thoughts and logic, ideas and dreams in the Diaspora as he would be in Eretz Israel. The revelations of holiness, no matter on what level, are pure in Eretz Israel, according to their intrinsic value, whereas in the Diaspora they are intertwined and mixed with other factors.”
Rav Avraham Itzhak Hakohen Kook

Over the past 3 years, I tried sharing a lot of different ideas with all of you – ideas of faith, love for our nation, love for our land, and love for our torah. Today, I want to wirte to you about a dream which was dreamt for the past 2000 years – a dream which synthesizes all of those various ideas which I shared with you - a dream which I also used to dream.

Yes, that’s right, I HAD a dream.

It was a dream much older than the American Dream. A dream deeply rooted in the Jewish Tradition.

I had a dream that, one day, the land of Israel would once again give of its fruits to the nation of Israel, living on its land.

I had a dream that the nation of Israel would no longer suffer anti-Semitism without the tools to defend itself, but would be able to stand up for itself in every circumstance.

I had a dream that Klal Israel would be restored to its place of greatness, and that it would act as a nation of priests and a holy nation.

I had a dream that once again, the whole world would be able to worship God in Jerusalem, in a temple which will be a house of prayer for all the nations.

I had a dream that a time of peace will begin for all of humanity — not simply a transition period between wars but with roots so deep that it will become everlasting.

Yes, my dream wasn’t simply a personal dream. It’s been the dream of a people, the ambition of a nation- the hope of Klal Israel. It is a dream that started 2000 years ago, when the second Temple was destroyed.

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Representatives from different midrashot (seminaries) are starting to come around to the various girls’ high schools in the area and tell us, the seniors, about the different institutions they represent, what each place has to offer. The choices are astounding: new midrashot seem to be springing up all the time, offering this special program or that special program. There is a program for everyone at every end of the religious spectrum, and the influx of all the information is really quite dizzying.

Interestingly enough, within the past two days, representatives from two very different midrashot said several similar things. When asked about their dress code, they both replied “Halachik.” Both brought up the movie Ushpizin, though for different reasons. But the similarity that struck me was the Dvar Torah they both used to introduce their programs.

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I was in a Falafel shop this evening, when an old man walked in. He didn’t look very different from most old Sfardi Israeli men, but he was, as it turned out, most remarkable. And he inspired me more than most of what I’ve experienced in Israel since I made Aliyah not long ago. What did he do?
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One of the awesome things about being in Israel is the saladness: there is such a variety of different people. Depending on where you walk, you’ll hear any of tens of languages spoken, in varying levels of adeptness. And just to look at people’s faces, you can see their variety of origin, custom, and mentality…

One of my neighbours is a cool-looking dark-skinned French Oleh, who has this massive afro, wears Bob Marley shirts, always wears a kippa, and who led the tfilot in fluent Nusach Sfarad the other day.

Another person I’ve met recently is a very sweet man who just made Aliyah from Georgia. He speaks a basic Hebrew, so we can communicate a bit.

My room-mate is an American Israeli, who often goes off to a yeshiva to learn, and who’s big into online gaming.

The security guards at the Central Bus Station in Yerushalayim are Ethiopian Israelis, who chat to each other in Hebrew, and who have the coolest hairstyles (seriously).

I had an in-depth conversation on Jewish philosophy, education, and politics a few days ago with a Torah-observant guy from Germany…

I’ve made friends with some wonderful kids from Iran, and with an earnest, pleasant man from South America.

I saw a French Israeli woman selecting a French Parasha-sheet from a stand, and we shared some remarks about finding Torah sheets in your own language…

I was sitting next to a young man on a bus a few weeks back. He was poring intensely over a Gemara he had with him. I asked him what he was learning, and we launched into a discussion about the sugya he was currently involved in, and the distinction between the opinions there of Rashi and Tosafot. This also led to another general discussion about life and philosophies…

It’s such a pleasure to be exposed to, and to interact with, Jews from such different backgrounds, Jews with such different souls, but Jews who are all a part of this wonderful nation; here, in this wonderful Land.

Have any examples of some different Jews you’ve encountered here in Israel? Or a story about an encounter? Share it in the comments section!