On Sukkot, we read Megillat Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) about "vanity of vanities; all is vanity"--everything is temporal in this world and seems meaningless. Yet in what we perceive as meaningless, there is truly so much meaning when we understand the bigger picture of what is happening to us and perhaps why.
G-d works in mysterious ways and bad things can and do turn into good things too. ;-) (Source Photo of Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Being in Israel this week has reawakened the essence of my Jewish soul. Today, we took a long Shabbat walk--winding through the beautiful and ancient streets to reach the beach of Tel Aviv. It was awesome seeing and hearing Hebrew everywhere--just like in the Bible/Torah. The street names of famous people and things like Menachem Begin, Shaul HaMelech, Weizman, Ben Yehuda, Shalom Aleichem, Bar Kokhva, Ha-Nevi'im, Yona HaNavi--it all had so much historical and identifying meaning as a proud Jew and Levite servant of the L-rd. Already, when I awoke this morning--my brain was reciting and my voice signing from Ecclesiastes 3: "There is a time for everything." And I don't know why, but I was humming it and mouthing over an over again:
"A time to love. A time to hate. A time for war (shuttering). A time for peace (extended and deep longing)."
I pray to you my G-d to protect, guide, and show us--your faithful servants--the way ahead. In my head, I understand that we do not choose the situations and challenges we face, but that they, in a very strong sense, choose us. And we must rise to each and every occasion, even as our soul longs for a true and lasting peace. May G-d grant us to utterly confuse, scatter, torment, and defeat our enemies. And may we merit a time when we will fully achieve and forever experience and dwell in love and peace, Amen. ;-) (Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Andy Blumenthal is Deputy Program Director at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader with over 35 years of experience delivering results across the public and private sectors. All opinions are his own.