The Double Odyssey

 

Allow me to share with you a story about the “Sfas Emes” from Gur that I have adapted to my life. It’s like this:

 

I was born in a land that was shaped like a bowl. The horizon was always above my head in all directions. The only thing visible on the horizon was a small mountain peak. No matter which direction I walked, the horizon never changed. Sometimes I walked toward the ‘speck’, sometimes away from it. Much of the time I didn’t even notice it. It was just ‘there’.

 

As a child, I remember looking at the dot on the horizon and saying, “Truth is there.” But then I grew up and truth took on a different form. My ‘bottom of the bowl’ existence became full of ‘stuff’ and rarely did I look above the horizon. As Rebbe Nachman once told someone that spent his time chasing material things, “You don’t even have time to look at the sky!”

 

As time passed, I realized the emptiness in the ‘stuff’, and each of my “toys” that I would pick up while looking for Truth would turn into dust and become part of the desert sands, revealing the complete lie my life had become. No more car, no more golf clubs, no more laptop, no more stock options. It wasn’t long before my world was a barren desert. The horizon was still above my head. And the peak was still there, to the East. But on the parched ground, I had nothing but dust.

 

The journey toward the peak began. Hours became days. Days became months. Months became years. With persistence the peak grew to an incredible mountain. One day I finally reached the foot of the mountain and left my ‘bottom of the bowl’ existence. I could now see the terrain from which I had traveled. Was it ever a barren wasteland! I knew I could never return nor could I settle at the base of the mountain. I had to climb, so, climb I did.

 

Hours became days became months became years.

 

After 42 years of journeying, I reached the summit. A vast city with many people! I asked a child that was passing by how he came to be here. He replied, “I was born here”.

 

During my climb, I would see or hear people as they fell from somewhere above me. It was a reminder of how treacherous this journey really is and to take extra precautions. Once on top, I found a place where people were lined up to jump off. Some jumped with hand gliders, some with bungee cords, some just opted to free-fall.

 

I went over and pleaded with them. “Why? There is nothing down there! It took me 42 years to get to the place you were privileged to be born! There is nothing down there! Truth is here! That world is the ‘bottom of the bowl’! The view is severely limited and you may not make it back here before your life comes to an end!”

 

* * *

 

I think that the parable is obvious. Many of us Westerners are making the double odyssey of teshuva and aliyah. It’s not easy, but it’s truth. We urge our Israeli brothers, especially the ones that were born into observant families, not to be fooled by the glitter of the mirage in the spiritual desert of the West. Choose an emuna life style. There is no place on earth to learn and live emuna like in Israel.

 

Thank you again, Breslev Israel and Rabbi Brody. You have saved our lives twice. The first time by helping us to make real teshuva – beyond our going-through-the-motions Orthodox lifestyle – in a pleasant and meaningful way while connecting us with the writings of Rebbe Nachman and Rabbi Shalom Arush. Our neighbors in the American Jewish community we lived in didn’t want to understand such things as emuna and talking to Hashem. They thought I was losing my mind. Once I realized that my comfort-zone observance was almost meaningless, I started pleading with Hashem to guide me. He sure did, and directed me to the Breslev Israel website. It was a cold glass of water in the middle of a vast desert.

 

The second time had to do with making aliyah. We knew that real teshuva isn’t possible unless a person makes a total commitment to Torah observance. To do that, we had to get to Israel. Again our rabbi and our community fought us and said, “Make where you live Israel.” They’re fooling themselves. Baruch Hashem, we listened to the rabbis of Breslev Israel whose message is as clear as any beacon, lighthouse, foghorn, or radio signal.

 

So, we are now here in Israel. Israel is an awesome place. The land is so very beautiful, and you can feel Hashem’s presence here so much more.

 

I owe much to Breslev Israel. May Hashem continue to bless their efforts by inspiring countless others to take up the path of emuna. May Rabbi Arush and all who help him be blessed with health, wealth, happiness, and success, both spiritually and materially. And may we greet Mashiach Tzidkeinu immediately this day, amen!