Saying the Right Thing

THERE IS a time and a place for saying the right thing. And that time and place is now, not nowish.<br><br>I want to say the right thing. I want to say something that will bring us together, as a people, as a nation, as a family. I want to say something that will bring us together with our Arab brothers and sisters and siblings. I want to say something positive, uplifting, inspiring, and unifying.<br><br>I want to say the right thing. But I also want to say the true thing.<br><br>Do I want to live in Israel because of the food, the climate, the culture, and the people? Sure. But I want to live in Israel because it is the state of the Jewish People, the Nation of Israel.<br><br>I want to live in Israel because that is the only place in the whole wide world where we, as Jews, are able to take care of ourselves. I want to live in Israel because that is the only place in the whole wide world where we, as Jews, are able to decide our own destiny. I want to live in Israel because that is the only place in the whole wide world where we, as Jews, can take care of ourselves, defend ourselves, and protect ourselves.<br><br>We Jews. We Israelis. We citizens of Israel. We are One.<br><br>Do we have differences? Are we all the same? Of course not, obviously not, mostly not. But we are united in one thing: our love for Israel, for the Nation of Israel, and for the State of Israel.<br><br>So what is the right thing to say? The right thing to say is that we are united. The right thing to say is that we stand together. The right thing to say is that we stand strong. The right thing to say is that we love each other. The right thing to say is that we love Israel. And the right thing to say is that we will never never never let Israel go.<br><br>So don’t try to take her away from us. We won’t let you. <br><br>I want to say the right thing. But I also want to say the true thing. <br><br>And the true thing is this: Israel is our Home. <br><br>We have nowhere else to go. <br><br>We are a family. <br><br>We are a nation. <br><br>And we are a people.<br><br>And that is the right thing to say.<br><br>Contributed by RabbiShalom Berger.