We’ve known for ages that my nephew’s Bar Mitzvah would be held in Israel. We even discussed why we couldn’t go; too expensive, who would watch the kids, and a host of other challenges. Suddenly last week we realized that perhaps we could actually pull it off. That led to some very last minute changes to schedules and some hiccups due to travel regulations but within a few days Goldie and I were in the Holy Land. Surreal and exciting are understatements. Nothing can truly describe the feeling of walking in the Old City and nothing can replace the experience of visiting the very first part of the Land to be owned by a Jew, the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron. Having not visited Israel for so long, one thing took me by surprise. The feeling of anger that I felt approaching the Western Wall. I experienced something similar when we were barred from visiting the tombs of Yitzchak and Rivkah, our patriarch and matriarch buried in Hebron. This is our land, the holiest places on earth and we’re being treated as though we do not have a right to the land. We’re praying on a plaza that faces a fraction of the supporting wall of the Temple Mount - not even a remnant of the Temple itself. Why? To appease people whose entire goal is to wipe out every vestige of our connection to the Land. While I was overjoyed at being there I was simultaneously upset by the injustice of the current reality. It took some intention and focus to redirect the anger into motivation. Motivation to do something about it. We don’t have to simply accept this reality, we can - and must - do something about it. We have to do something about the underlying circumstances that have created this reality. This past Tuesday was the fast day of the 17th of Tammuz, the day which commemorates the Romans breaching the walls of Jerusalem which led to the destruction of the Second Temple. The 17th of Tammuz begins the 3 week period of mourning which culminates with the 9th of Av, commemorating the date of the Temple’s destruction. It’s the time of year when we are reminded of the need to do whatever we can to rectify the situation. The time of year, the Land of Israel, they both serve to highlight the significance of our place in this world. G-d put us each in this world for a purpose and we have the tools we need to achieve this purpose. The key is to realize the enormity of this mission and be intentional and focused on achieving it. How? While it might sound cliché, it is anything but; we achieve our purpose through making this world a G-dly place. Elevating every interaction and infusing it with holiness. 
ב"ה