Todays exploits can only be described as indelible. This morning we headed out of Eilat for a three hour journey towards Tel Aviv. First, we stopped at the Sh’vil HaSalat (Salad Trail); a vegetable farm 45 minutes out of Sderot. There we ate cherry tomatoes and cucumbers right off the vine. After that, we participated in a maze running competition, made fresh Pita, and enjoyed a nice lunch in the midst of the exotic vineyards. When we arrived in Sderot, we stopped at a playground as a symbolic gesture towards the fact that the children within the city -which neighbors Gaza- have witnessed thousands of rockets lobbed at their homes and recreational facilities. At the Blind Museum in Cholon, we got a chance to experience complete and utter darkness. With the help of our other senses, we discovered our true surroundings. More importantly, we were finally able to empathize with those not born with the simple yet vital ability to see. Perhaps this will be a lesson for those of us who can see, and how we unfortunately use that power to judge one another. As writer Charles Caleb Colton once said, “Men are born with two eyes, but with one tongue, in order that they should see twice as much as they say.” Hopefully, after todays fufilling activities, we will all begin to take these words to heart.
-Yaakov Miller