Autumn is here
Not everything here is about war, politics and superficial TV shows
We cannot but envy them. The last time I heard a serious discussion on the weather was when weighing the pro and cons regarding a raid in Lebanon; how a postponement to September would have been detrimental to the Israeli Air Force bombing due to the clouds in the sky, and how with the onset of the rains a ground assault would have got the logistic wheels stuck in the mud.
Letter of warning to Mother Nature
There was, therefore, no alternative but to embark on the war in Lebanon in July, even though there was weather in July as well. Who could have imagined that it would be hot, that the water supplies supposed to last for 48 hours would only last for eight, and that the troops would dehydrate? Mother Nature would do well to hire a top notch attorney because pretty soon Justice Winograd will issue Mother Nature a letter of warning.
The two first days of the New Year were a wonderful reminder that not everything here is about war, politics and superficial TV shows. We can also enjoy more mundane things: The pleasure of prayer at the synagogue, the beauty of the sea, the flow of the streams in the north, bicycle rides in the forest, the smell of a barbeque and the pleasure of meeting old friends. In short, once in a while, we Israelis can also be what Herzl hoped in vain that we would be: Normal.
War left us in a shambles
The Lebanon war left us in a shambles. Had the elections taken place now, it is doubtful whether a third of the electorate would have bothered to cast its vote. However, amidst this anger, pain and bereavement there is a measure of consolation: It appears that Israeli society has more resourcefulness and power than the government.
When the central and local government cannot provide adequate answers to the home front's distress, voluntary organizations fill the void. When reserve soldiers discover they lack items in their military kitbags, they get the equipment together themselves. Just give them a few days and they'll get it together.
No more surprises
On the eve of Rosh Hashana the troops I accompanied during the war sent me a text message New Year's greeting. My wish to them was that they would not lack anything in the future. They, in response, invited me to see how they had replenished their stocks since the war. Nasrallah can surprise Dan Halutz, but Halutz will not surprise them, not any more.
The New Year doesn't always fall on a weekend. Not every year is so calm and soothing: Sometimes it comes with a heat wave, sometimes with the winter's first drizzle of rain. A wintry autumn, with howling winds can only be found in the poems of poets yearning for European roots.
There's no need for a howling wind, all we want is for this holiday to end the way is started, pleasantly. And if at all possible, give us another holiday like this, on Sukkot.
