Giving Thanks to The Land of Israel<\/b><\/p>\n
by Mendel Jacobson<\/p>\n
Though the reasons for thanking you are endless, and no matter how many times I do thank you there will always be another and another thank you to be said, nevertheless, here are 20 ways I have found to begin thanking you for all that you are and all that you make me.<\/i><\/p>\n
20. Thank you for your shuks, makolets<\/i>, kiosks and boutiques, where the customer is always wrong but the experience is always right.<\/p>\n
19. Thank you for your adventurous transportation: the ever-presumptuous bus drivers and the never subtle (or boring) taxi rides.<\/p>\n
18. Thank you for the cool beauty of your mountains in the Golan and the hot passion of your deserts in the Negev.<\/p>\n
17. Thank you for making Shabbat more than just another day, more than just another experience \u2013 thank you for making Shabbat a peaceful reality.<\/p>\n
16. Thank you for the Kotel, the Western Wall, where all the sparks dance in one fiery flame and all the questions seem to be answered.<\/p>\n
15. Thank you for your people, the enigmatic Sabra, so prickly on the outside, so sweet on the inside.<\/p>\n
14. Thank you for your falafel shops and shawarma stands, where you come only to get an innocent bite to eat but leave with a whole new perspective on life.<\/p>\n
13. Thank you for your sunrises \u2013 turning night into day \u2013 and your sunsets \u2013 turning brick into gold.<\/p>\n
12. Thank you for your holy beggars, who give much more than they can ever take.<\/p>\n
11. Thank you for your cobblestone streets, trodden by High Priests and peddlers alike, walked by black-coated Meah Shearimites and nose-ringed Tel Avivians, all walking different paths, all heading in the same direction.<\/p>\n
10. Thank you for helping me cry \u2013 cry for all the innocents who have suffered.<\/p>\n
9. Thank you for making me smile \u2013 smile for all the hope you bring.<\/p>\n
8. Thank you for the clear waters of your oceans reflecting the clear blue of your skies reflecting the clear purity of your holiness.<\/p>\n
7. Thank you for your flowing milk and honey \u2013 your nourishment that nurtures my body, your sweetness that lifts-up my spirit.<\/p>\n
6. Thank you to your heroic, green-clad sons and daughters for protecting the Holy Land and the Jewish People. Thank you for defending what is true and sacred.<\/p>\n
5. Thank you for the past \u2013 the history that permeates your every breath and stone.<\/p>\n
4. Thank you for the present \u2013 the today that lives and learns from the past.<\/p>\n
3. Thank you for the future \u2013 the promise that grows ever closer and closer.<\/p>\n
2. Thank you for being my consciousness, for reminding me who I am and why I am here.<\/p>\n
1. Thank you just for being \u2013 for being my heart, my soul, my home.<\/p>\n
Thank you.<\/p>\n