12 Reasons to Live in Israel

In honor of Parshat Sh'lach, here's a meme from Nefesh B'Nefesh, asking every Oleh to compose a list of 12 great things they appreciate and love about living in Israel.

• Knowing the truth behind the fiction of 99% of what I hear on the radio or see on television.
• Having dozens upon dozens of synagogues that I don't go to within walking distance (because I found one just right for me).
• Being able to taunt everyone else who says they want to move to Israel but hasn't.
• Being within driving distance. Of everything.
• Having access to incredibly good, cheap, and plentiful kosher wine and food.
• Being admired for being American. Being admired for moving away from "wealth" to move here. (Wealth? What wealth?)
• Being admired for being religious.
• Messing with people's minds when they find out that I'm a religious and right-wing Israeli and yet not a racist.
• Hearing even the television wish me shabbat shalom.
• Being able to post while a lot of my readers are still asleep.
• Making history with every step.
• A mitzvah every minute.

My wife, Rachel, adds her own reasons:

• The people are great; high-bred and low-brow mix together; even teenagers have a sense of purpose outside of themselves; real, strong, non-Jappy women
• The Hebrew language; aside from being beautiful, Torah quotes abound in the language; even the taxi driver will quote tanach to you; bus advertisements are biblical
• There is no apologizing for being Jewish
• You can buy anything you want in a grocery store
• The davening is amazing; the best synagogue services in the world
• There is a mikva in every city within walking distance
• There is no Torah learning like Israel Torah learning
• Yom Kippur; Jerusalem shuts down and people dressed in white meet everywhere in the streets, happy
• Simchat Torah; dancing in the streets and between synagogues
• Sukkot; the weather is pleasant, and the kids sukkah hop
• Tisha'a Ba'av on the Haas Tayelet, with readings in all Jewish denominations, overlooking the Kotel, full of hope
• Israel is my home; I am living around the corner from David's palace; everywhere I go I know people

Other entries: Muqata, Rafi, Ben-Yehuda, Zahava, Israluv.

Yehuda