Jerusalem50 - Rabbi Raphael Butler's speech from the Kotel

photograph Minister Bennett dear friends we just heard an inspiring rousing expression of inspiration for Minister Bennett but I want to personalize it for just a few moments as we prepare to make our own personal commitment to the AMA you D to the Jewish nation don't look at me look at this coat oh it's a thread that connects all of us it also connects us in service and service we start with the story of the akkada the neighb'ring ham offers his son Isaac as a sacrifice right here look at that wall right over that wall Jacob dreams and there's this ladder and he dreams and dreams that he sees angels rising up and down do you see that ladder can you feel the dream and he makes a commitment a hush pod at that moment and he says if God is with me then I will be with God and he bonds with her cousins Burroughs who League bonds with God just like his grandfather Avraham did with get sug look a little further the building of the beit hamikdash the place of service or all of us would come so many times during the year and also look and see the destruction feel the grief and then imagine paratroopers 50 years ago right here at this moment what unites all of those experiences my friends what unites the ball it's service devotion and sometimes sacrifice not every story ends the way we want with our resoluteness to connect to a Kadosh Baruch who to God remains in every experience nurtures that relationship and therefore this historic moment and we thank de Vere Kahana the director of the Diocese office of Diane's Ministry of diaspora Affairs who put this sign up here welcome our brothers and sisters from the Diaspora who cries out to all of us and says listen we want you we feel part of you'll be we want to hear your voice as well and I would suggest that voice should be we should find our voice to bond with God we should be prepared to celebrate and to grapple with challenges we should be prepared to live beyond ourselves just like those two paratroopers did you know that every single time the only other time when there's an oath taking place in this place is those are willing to give their lives as soldiers from it Enoch Israel whether we prepare to put on the line no one here is asking that anybody give up their life with this historic moment is calling for is to find your voice and to live a life of purpose and meaning we will end this with personal commitments of a number of our students who will step forward to offer simple ideas small bite-sized pieces of expression of bonding will continue then with the hash Bob the sense of promise and oath that just like Medina Israel and every tal is with us we are with them in the Jewish people