An Amazing Graduation -- Living the Dream

I can be proud of my daughter's graduation tonight from sixth grade and that she is starting "Ulpana" (Jr. High). Not proud that she "graduated" (its pretty hard to not graduate from 6th grade) -- but proud of the actual, impressive ceremony. In fact, it was as if the Muqata blog had written and directed the entire evening; sound, light, video, effects, Eretz Yisrael all rolled into one (though no one was wearing a yellow smiley face).

The "theme" of the evening was the "impending redemption" -- and the boys and girls had separate presentations (they aren't mixed in school either). The primary artistic presentation was about a class going on a forced museum trip, where they encountered different historical characters who came alive at the mention of the word "Geula" -- redemption. (The smoke machine and strobe added some cool effects).

Avraham Avinu proudly congratulated them for building up the land, and proving G-d's promise of לך אתן את הארץ הזאת -- "to you I will give this land".

The class comforted Rachel the Matriarch that her children were returning from Exile and rebuilding the land. How poignant was it that the class reminded her that some children were still missing and needed her prayers; Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev, Ron Arad... how current events mesh with our lives...and we don't even forget our missing soldiers -- even at a 6th grade graduation.

The class met a group of Jews...who were going to trash the store of "Shmuel the Shoemaker" -- because he was working on Shabbat. R' Kook arrived on the scene and told the crowd that only through "Ahavat Chinam" would the redemption come.

Yoni Netanyahu met the class as well -- one who gave his life for Ahavat Chinam -- on behalf of the Jewish people in his daring rescue mission at Entebbe.

Ben-Gurion, Naomi Shemer, and others characters met the class, all through the theme of "redemption" -- how close it is...how close it can be.

The following background painting summed it all up perfectly:

"Such is the redemption of Israel:
first, it is bit by bit,
but as it goes on,
the light continues to grow..."

(Mevaseret Zion -- here)

As the play ended, the sounds of the shofar erupted from all corners of the gymnasium.

May we merit redemption soon -- I could not be more proud of my daughter, her class, and her school.

Living the dream day by day, in Israel.


Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד