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And this Friday, we're going to
celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem
Day. The heart of our people, Jerusalem
was returned to us. And
it's like there's something deeper here.
It's like when Am Yisrael comes back to
Jerusalem, we didn't just come home.
We came back to rebuild. We were just
devastated, lost. We lost our connection
with God. We lost our connection to the
land. After 2,000 years of exile, we
didn't remember how to live as a nation.
We lived literally as a religion spread
across the world. We didn't remember how
to govern. We didn't know how to defend
ourselves, how to rule, how to be
sovereign. And like someone waking up
after a near-death experience, we had to
learn everything again.
And so, we had to learn how to live as a
nation in our capital city that we had
been praying to return to for so many
centuries. And we're still learning.
It's like we have to learn
what our role is among the nations. I
mean, since the founding of Israel,
Israel has been focused on surviving the
attacks from the nations. Even now, Iran
and Gaza and Hezbollah and Lebanon. But
on a deeper level, Israel has to learn
our role of what it means to be a light
to the nations, with Jerusalem as the
lighthouse. And then,
you know,
something really remarkable is happening
this week at the same time. The very
same weekend, Israel will be celebrating
our return to Jerusalem. President
Donald Trump is calling for Americans to
observe a national biblical Shabbat from
Friday night to Saturday night. Here's a
direct quote from the president himself.
In special honor of 250 glorious years
of American independence and on the
weekend of rededicate 250, a national
jubilee of prayer, praise, and
thanksgiving, Jewish Americans are
encouraged to observe a national Sabbath
from sundown May 15th to nightfall of
May 16th. Friends, families, and
communities of all backgrounds may come
together in gratitude for our great
nation. And this day will recognize the
sacred Jewish tradition setting aside
time for rest, reflection, and gratitude
to the Almighty.
I mean,
think about that. Now, it seems that
President Trump is encouraging calling
on the Jewish people to observe Shabbat,
but as the president of America saying
all people from all backgrounds may come
together in gratitude. I mean, I would
like to extend that invitation to
everyone who believes in the 10
Commandments. That's what America is
built upon. And that very moment, the
Jewish people in the land of Israel are
celebrating our return to Jerusalem, the
heart of holiness in the world. The idea
of Shabbat is echoing outward from the
world's superpower for the first time to
the Jews and to the nations. And it all
seems so connected. I mean, Shabbat is
the moment where you stop trying to
control life, and you remember that life
itself is a gift. You stop working. You
stop building. You stop creating, and
then you start being.
And 2 years ago,
I was given my life back.
And I've come to understand Hashem
doesn't just restore us to who we were.
He invites us to become more, more
aware, more grateful. It's like Hashem
is just restoring us to Jerusalem. It's
not just to bring us back to this land.
He's inviting us to become more. And now
he's inviting the righteous among the
nations to join us celebrating Shabbat
and to become more as well. And that's
exactly what's happening in our time.
We're not just returning to the land.
We're not just rebuilding Jerusalem, all
of us are being elevated. We're
relearning how to live as a holy nation,
and now our task in Israel is to invite
the righteous among the nations to join
us on the journey, and Shabbat is the
key. Shabbat will be what brings us
together. Hey, that was a highlight from
this week's Land of Israel Fellowship.
If you like that highlight, you'll love
the Land of Israel Fellowship. Find out
more on the landofisrael.com.
Join our global community from over 50
countries around the world that gather
together every Sunday live from Israel.
Check it out on the link below.
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