Friday, December 17, 2004

Uncomfortable in Golus

While I grew up in a mid-size city of about 60,000 people, I now live in a major metropolitan area. Thank G-d, I have a single-family home and live in a nice neighborhood with friendly neighbors. Sometimes, however, the chaos of the area gets to me. I ask myself, is this where I really want to live? ...is this a place I want to raise my children?

The question then becomes where would I go?

I honestly don't know.

If I were to move I would need a place with a Jewish community, a shul, a kosher supermarket, and a mikvah. This automatically eliminates most small towns. I also wouldn't want to move to the other coast since all my family lives on this coast. So now, I just have the choice between a few large cities, none of which are anymore appealing than where I live now.

Problems exist everywhere. They exist in every town and city. The Baal Shem Tov once said, "Trying to run away from one's problems is like a woman in labor running off to another room. "

Another city would just be "another room".

There obviously must be a reason why I meant to live here in this city. Perhaps this is where I am supposed to stay until Moshiach comes. Perhaps I am not meant to be too comfortable here in Golus.

--

"Sound the great shofar for our freedom. Raise the banner to gather our exiles and speedily gather us together from the four corners of the earth to our Land. Blessed are You, Hashem, Who gathers in the dispersed of His people Israel." - from the weekday Amidah

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