Congregation Beth Israel "From Rabbi Stephen Kahn - On Leaving Israel" for Wedmesday, 31 December 2014

Final Update from CBI's Family Israel Trip!

Final Thoughts on Our Trip Prepared BY: Rabbi Stephen Kahn December 31, 2014 - 10 Tevet, 5775 Here are the final thoughts Rabbi Stephen Kahn shared with our CBI Israel Trip pilgrims during the farewell dinner this evening... Before we all go our separate ways for flights back to Arizona, I want to share a few thoughts. It is a great privilege for me to bring people to Israel. It is something I do with a heart filled with love for this precious place. I know this voyage is filled with paradoxical experiences; it's designed to be both spiritually exhilarating and emotionally draining. When you reflect on these past ten days (especially in the first 48 hours after you get home) you will also become acutely aware of how physically straining it is to spend ten days covering as much of this country as we have. I am very proud of this group and truly blessed to be your rabbi...you all represented our community with dignity and class and I am so grateful! First, Gabrielle and I want to thank you all so very much for enabling us to facilitate this journey, for allowing us to be part of this trip with you and for entrusting us with this incredible experience that we shared with you. We are so grateful! We cannot leave Israel without giving our heartfelt thanks to Sharon Wagner. Now you all can understand why Rabbi Keller and I love her so much! This was Sharon's second trip with me and fourth with CBI. She is brilliant, hilarious, deeply passionate and above all else, a mensch. There is no one else I would rather guide us through Land of Israel than Sharon. She reminds us why this place is so important through her words, her humor and her commitment to educating the thousands of souls who are lucky enough to have her as a guide and friend. I also want to share with you that this is a very melancholy time for me on many levels. Every time I leave Israel I feel a deep sadness. There is something deep within my soul that is tied to this place. It is a feeling of longing and love for the Jewish People and the Jewish State and is something I feel no matter where I am. It is the reminder of what it means to be a Jew each and every day through our shared experience. It's the knowledge that readjusting to American society will be filled with the challenges of knowing how different I am from those around me. And while I will readjust and acclimate in the coming weeks, I will never leave Israel because it is simply part of who I am. Here are my hopes for you as we conclude this amazing journey:  Remember to keep those mental snapshots we spoke of throughout the trip. When you pray as Jews, celebrate as Jews and embrace your lives as Jews, remember Israel - the faces and places that will give new meaning to every word, act and thought because it is now permanently etched on your hearts and an indelible part of your psyche. Remember the moments of transcendence you experienced - from the soldiers protecting Israel in the north, to Eitan's passionate resolve to protect them; from the first moment you ate the sweet delicacies at our first breakfast, to the Shabbat dinner in Jerusalem; from the shouts of vendors in Machane Yehuda to the vigil at the grave of Michael Levine; from floating in the Dead Sea to hearing the waves of the Mediterranean crash along the beaches of Tel Aviv. Remember the kindnesses you showed each other. It's no easy thing being with a group of other people in such close proximity for this long! I want to tell you all how proud I am to be your rabbi and how much inspiration you have given me. I loved praying with you, playing with you and of course sharing an occasional "refreshment" with you. Mostly, it was a thrill to watch how you loved each other and cared for each other and grew as a community! Come Back! This was just a start for many of you...I want you all to come often and I want you to come for longer. You are not visitors here! This is your home and it will always be here waiting for your safe return!  Baruch ata b'voeacha...Baruch ata b'tzeitecha...Blessed were you in your coming here and blessed you will be as you depart. I wish you all a safe, healthy and restful journey home...

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Congregation Beth Israel
10460 N. 56th Street
Scottsdale, Arizona 85253 United States
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