From a different perspective

Last week when I was flying back home on the Nefesh B'Nefesh flight, I said the Shacharit, Morning Prayers, at the first moment it's allowed. That's when the sky is still dark, but you can see the first rays of the sun.

I hadn't slept all night. Being the "In-Flight Press" means pulling an all-nighter, and this time there were quite a few of the olim, new immigrants, shmoozing by the kitchen. So I was busy.

Then I noticed the most amazing sight, on the horizon was a bright orange-red line--the sun, and over it the black sky and diamond-like stars.

The sunlight meant that I could say the morning prayers, so I sat down and started. It's funny how you can read the same words over and over for years and years, and then suddenly, they have different meaning. That's how I felt when saying the first of the blessings in Birkat Hashachar, the Morning/Dawn Blessings:

Baruch atah Adoshem Elokeinu melech ha'olam asher natan l'sechvi vinah l'havchin bain yom uvein laylah.
Blessed are you Hashem our G-d, ing of the universe, Who gave the heart understanding to distinguish between day and night.

Suddenly it hit me. Generally it's very easy to know if it's day or night. Honestly, what's the big deal. It's light during the day and dark at night. But here I was, high above the earth, protected by this enormous man-made machine. It looked dark outside, but it was officially day according to my human understanding. I tried photographing it, but even my 7.1 pixels didn't do it justice; you'll just have to trust my description.

It really was the perfect time for the morning prayers. I felt it even more than I do when the sunrise fills my livingroom windows.

Almost sixty years after Israel's Declaration of Independence the war isn't yet over. This is as clear to me as that sun was bright on the horizon. There are many here weary of the battle, but we must never give up.

“Baruch Atah Adoshem, Elokeinu Melech HaOlam, Ha Noten L’Ayeif Ko’ach.” “Blessed be You Our G-d, Lord of the Universe, Who Gives Strength to the Weary.”

Shabbat Shalom U'Mevorach!