“If you can make a list of 50 things that you love about Israel and living there, then you can come with me to Shlomo’s bar mitzvah”

April 5

D

ear Diary,

Okay, I have definitely come to a decision about how I feel about this move. It is NOT exciting or good!

I told my friends that I was moving and no one thought it was a good idea. I mean, sure they liked the cupcakes, but they reminded me of all the things I would be missing out on: day-camp, leagues, the school basketball team, bar mitzvahs… I told my mother that she can move if she wants to, but I’m staying here. If my grandparents or cousins don’t want me to live with them, I can always live with one of my friends from school. Yeah, I'm sure I’ll miss my siblings and parents, but I don’t want to move to Israel!

My mother was totally against my plan. She said we are a family and we stick together. She also launched into a whole mushy speech about how special Israel is. When she asked if I was listening, I told her, “Not really, Ma, because I don’t want to move!”

“Trust me, Binyamin, you’re going to love Israel,” she responded.

“I will not! I love it here and I don’t want to go,” I said.

My mother suddenly dashed to the hallway to whisper something to my father. They kept whispering back and forth until finally my mother smiled and raced back into the room.

“Okay, Binyamin, I have a deal for you,” she said. “Your cousin Shlomo’s bar mitzvah is next spring, almost a year after we move. Do you want to fly to New York with me for the bar mitzvah?”

“Of course! There's no way I'm missing Shlomo’s bar mitzvah!” I practically shouted.

“Well, here’s the deal,” my mother said. “If you can make a list of 50 things that you love about Israel and living there, then you can come with me to Shlomo’s bar mitzvah.”

“Fifty things?!” I spluttered. “No way. How can I come up with even one thing I love about living there if I don’t want to move?!”

“I think that you’ll love living in Israel. I am sure that you will have moments when you feel frustrated and upset, but I am also sure that you will have way more times that you are happy and excited to be in Israel. So I want you take that journal that I gave you and start a list. Keep an eye out for all the amazing things about Israel and record them in your journal. The day you write down the 50th thing you love about Israel, show me your journal, and I will book you a ticket to the bar mitzvah.”

(Excerpted from Mishpacha Jr., Issue 777)