1.
One by one, the Torah scrolls advanced to the Temple, to the Western Wall, accompanied by the blowing of the shofar and the singing of the Psalms. It was moving. 75 Torah scrolls donated by generous Jews from all over the world, in memory of the victims of Protective Edge 14.
An orchestra played moving songs, and the speakers were moved to tears. It's not every day that one gets to carry such a large quantity of Torah scrolls, and more, to lift the spirits of those who fell in war.
The families of the fallen were honored by sitting close to the stage, within sight and hearing, and to the sounds of the songs and the blasts of the shofar - everyone burst into tears of joy mixed with sadness.
I was privileged to participate in this special ceremony, as I write chapter headings for myself from what happened before, and plan what I will write in my column this time, in light of the play.
Suddenly there were shouts.
My eyes were diverted from the decorated stage with the trumpeters, the children who were invited to sing, Yehoram Gaon who led the ceremony, and Yonatan Razel who sang "If I Forget You, Jerusalem" in a mournful voice - towards the other audience, the one that we had not seen before.
""They promised us we'd get in!" the voices shouted, "and in the end we're being removed from the ceremony, as if we didn't arrive from Netanya on two buses specifically for this purpose.".
There is chaos at the Western Wall, and this time not from the Arabs who often stir up trouble and sabotage the joy of the site, but from guests who were invited to the site and in the middle of a particularly moving ceremony.
Another five minutes passed and the chants died down. The people, most of them, went inside and their eyes were once again turned towards the stage.
The Holy Books were already on the stage, stirring the heart, and the ceremony continued with songs, verses that were read, and speeches by the President of the State, the Chairman of Yad Labanim, and other important figures.
I returned home very late at night.
''I'll sit on this column first thing in the morning,' I told myself, and that's what I did.
With great emotion, I sat down to write my excitement about the ceremony.
But a phone call I received from a friend stopped me:
'"'What happened at the ceremony you attended?' she asked me, 'I understood that there were shouting, fights, almost an exchange of blows, people were left outside, impudence, vileness. What organization?"'
I tried to explain to my friend that I was a few meters from the commotion, that it was not pleasant, but it only lasted a few minutes, compared to the ceremony that lasted over two hours. I saw the commotion unfold, I also saw that my angry heads softened.
I tried to explain to her that overall the ceremony was unique, the president spoke with taste, the chairman of Yad Labanim, Mr. Eli Ben Shem, was moved by his words, the children's choir was successful, the singing of the Chief Military Cantor and the Military Rabbinate Choir were amazing in their singing, the applause was melodious, everyone's tears were real.
I tried to explain this to my girlfriend, but I hit a wall.
The various media outlets reported the ceremony with the words: 'Chaos at the ceremony!' or: 'Alternatives of blows at the ceremony of the introduction of the Torah scrolls at the Western Wall!''
See what 5 minutes of noise, of chaos, of fights and shouting can do, ruining entire hours of purity and beauty, emotion and unity.
It is true that riots, clashes, and shameful behaviors need to be prevented, especially those related to the mood of bereaved families, which swings like a pendulum at any time, between joy and sorrow, but when they happen, it would be good for us to at least know how to make a full separation.
To enjoy the beautiful things that happen around us, to be grateful for what we do receive, to be grateful to those who do something for us, and to accept even the little we don't do in a relaxed spirit.
2.
Children of the Great Holiday are a special breed of greedy people. They receive endlessly and are never satisfied.
Sentences like: 'Freedom is over and we didn't do anything!' can infuriate any loving mother, who has given her all for the immense freedom that has no end and no evil.
These sentences sabotage every vineyard we planted during vacation, every trip we took, every party we threw, every moment we spent with our children.
It won't help if you read and say: "Children, you received, you went, I bought for you, you went for a walk, you visited...".
It won't help. They didn't get anything and that's it.
The children of the Great Vacation are experts at forgetting things that happened only yesterday, they are experts at cultivating remorse in their parents, and most importantly, they are well-versed in the theory of seeing the limited: they will always see the little that was not done, they will point to it as if it were everything - and completely erase what did happen and with everyone's knowledge.
3.
And maybe it's not them, but rather we who see the children of the Great Freedom as such?
Maybe they do see what we're doing and we shouldn't pay attention to their comments, which are just a few sentences that are said and are irritating and agitating, causing us to rush in and strike back with a vengeance.
But between us, what are these sentences compared to the dozens of times they helped so nicely, were thoughtful, rushed to run errands? And even suddenly pounced on us with a kiss and a hug: Mom, thanks for the lovely trip!
4.
In every area of our lives, we will do well if we succeed and know how to see the whole as the main thing and not put the trivial in front of our eyes, exhaust all our anger on it, and pin all our troubles on it.
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