Chanukah was awesome, what made it even better this year is that I finally made it out to Modi’in where the Maccabean graves are. Just outside the town of Modi’in there is a forest called Park Canada. When I was in the IDF, they took us here during Chanukah and our tour guide told us that here is where some of the battles took place against the Greeks. Well for the past few years Chanukah has been overwhelmingly been about the doughnuts as wells as stories about the great holiday. But I felt that this year I needed to do something more. So we made the trip to the area of Park Canada as well as Modi’in and had an amazing time.
Something I have noticed is that by just getting out of the house, you can reduce so much stress of the bickering that takes place between siblings. Getting out and seeing new places is also refreshing and builds memories between you and your kids for a lifetime.
Here’s a cool idea: Get a durable bag and wherever you go with your kids for the next month, collect dry wood. After a month of collecting, find a great place to make a small fire, your kids will love it.
Learning Torah is an absolute pleasure for most of us who are trying our best to live our Judaism, but as my old Rosh Yeshiva from Machon Meir would emphasize, it is a mitzvah to know the land. Eretz Yisrael is our inheritance sometimes we need to get out and discover the beauty that resides all throughout Israel, learn and live the Torah.
