Beyond Death

"Hi Danny, how are you?"

"Horrible!"

"Horrible?"

"Horrible!"

"Why?"

"I just found out that I am terminal."

"OY!!! What do you have?"

"Life."

"What?"

"Life. I am alive and all living things eventually die."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Move to Israel."

"Does that make you immortal? On the contrary, to get there you have you to go through an airport TERMINAL?"

"Very funny. But in fact Israel DOES make me immortal. Every second I am living there I am fulfilling a mitzva. Plus mitzvos performed in the Land are worth infinitely more than mitzvos performed outside the Land. Mitzvos make me immortal."

"Are you a Zionist?"

"I don't even know what that means. I am a Jew!"

"What are you going to do there?"

"I am going to spend my mornings trading stocks and in the afternoon I am going to learn in kollel. You see, I don't want to die. Everything bodily and this-worldly dies. But matters of the spirit exist forever!! Torah is what brings Tchiyas Hameisim."

"So then why are you going to work in the morning? Just learn!"

"Ahhh, I considered that but my Rebbe shlita told me that it is a mitzva to work and support my family as long as I do it li'shem shomayim. Another eternal advantage to moving, is that my children will no longer be in the flesh pots of the diaspora and will live in a place of simplicity where, for example, a family of 11 often HAPPILY live in a small two/three bedroom apartment. Where women dress tastefully but very simply. No fancy-super-stylish-gentile-influenced garb. Where people live for the ideal of sacrifice for Hashem and His people. Where children never heard of pro athletes and actors and learn loads of Torah. My nephews in Israel are little kids and know all Tanach by heart and are working on Mishnayos now."

"Aren't there places like that in America?"

"Maybe, but America lacks one thing Israel has - kedushas Eretz Yisroel!!"

"C'mon, is it really as perfect as you describe?"

"No, nothing is perfect, but we try to get as close as we can. From a certain perspective, when striving for perfection - we achieve it. All Hashem asks for is our desire. To be perfect in practice is beyond us."

"Sounds great. Hatzlacha and L'CHAIM!!!!"