Preceptions of Angels in the Promised Land

                                                                         Vol: #9    

Before I begin this week's blog, I first want to say my heart is with all the victims of the recent terror attacks.  I find it unfathomable that people are murdered for no reason, or purpose,  just out of hatred. I find it incomprehensible that people can just go and murder other people in cold blood.  And  I find it inexcusable that here in a Jewish country we are still being murdered because we are Jewish. 

I want to take this opportunity to say to any victims of terror how not ok it is. How hatred and ignorance bring us all down, and to the most recent victims I can not even begin to find words that might comfort you. I can not fathom how you will rebuild yourselves, but I want to bless you with strength, faith, and courage. to somehow rise up. My heart mourns with you, and the destruction and desecration that you as families feel and that we must feel as a nation and as a people. No matter where you live, and what you believe we must stand united that terror and violence do not solve problems.

These recent terror attacks force me to re-evaluate my beliefs, my core values, and everything I believe to be secure. 

It is very easy to point fingers and say: "all Arabs are bad" or any other such words.  But then that makes me no better than the terrorists themselves.

This brings me to the story behind this week's Qwerki Quote and Inspirational Thought.

My whole life I had yearned to live in Israel.  My whole life I had heard that the land of  Israel was holy.  When I finally made it back to Israel, I was 19 and my grandparents had picked me up at the airport and were driving me to my home for the year: The neighborhood of Bayit V'Gan in the holy city of Jerusalem. Highway 1 is the highway that connects Jerusalem to Tel-Aviv, and anyone who knows the hills of Yerushalayim, and remembers my grandparents' old (tarante) dinosaur car could relate to my unease as the car slowly huffed and puffed its way up the Jerusalem hills. I was curious (to the point of probably being annoying...) and I kept asking about everything I was seeing.

"Are you sure the car will make it up the hill?" To which my grandfather huffed and puffed like his tarante car and assured me that: "Of course, it would. It's done this many times before."

"Are we supposed to be going this slowly?" My grandfather was very attached to his "Flinstone" like car and any insult, question, or query about his car was taken as a personal affront. Further questions, like: "Why are all the other cars passing us?" "Do we have enough oil and gas?" "Is the engine supposed to be making that sound?"  This caused my grandfather undo stress and I learned that it was better to shut up rather than see the vein on his head popping out.

However, when we entered Yerushalayim my nose started smelling the most amazing smell and I couldn't hold in my question any longer. 

"What is that amazing smell? I asked. "It smells like the garden of Eden." My grandparents smiled at each other and answered together. "Oh, Angels are baking," they said. 

My ears heard the words but my brain did not comprehend the concept.  "Angels?" I asked" are baking? Since when do angels bake?"

My grandmother turned to me in the back seat and said "Oh they bake almost 24 hours a day except on Shabbat." she said.  As if this would enlighten me.

I was totally confused. I knew that Israel was a holy land, and Jerusalem its holiest city, but never in all my research and interviews had I come across the fact that angels were wandering freely the streets of Yerushalayim. And I surely never thought that even if they were wandering the streets of Jerusalem it would be doing something like baking bread.  But that smell was unbelievable. I thought just maybe, I mean I am in the land of miracles.

Hesitantly I asked what else do angels do? Oh well they bake cookies, cakes, pizza, they even have a cafe.... came the obvious answer.

Thoroughly bewildered I asked if these "angels" also swept the streets. My grandparents looked puzzled. why would angels sweep the streets of Yerushalayim?  Because baking bread is soooo much more productive for angels to spend their time...

Later I learned that "Angels" was the name of Israel's largest bakery, and yes they did bake 24 hours a day except on Shabbat. and more often than not, they have names like Yusuf, Mohamoud, and Ibrahim.  So Technically they were angels, just not the type I had envisioned.

To this day I always smile when I see "Angels Bakery" and if you have not yet merited to smell heaven on earth I invite you to do so. 

May we live to see an era where there is no more hatred and terror.  May all the families of the victims of terror receive comfort.  Please daven for all those who need a refu'ah shleima, including my grandmother: Chava Yehudit bat Sheindel 

Have yourselves a Qwerki and Inspirational Day

Till next week, 

This is the most recent picture I have of my Grandmother, taken last week when I went to visit her.

And these are the Qwerki & Inspirational Thoughts that were inspired by "Angels"