Dear Families,
People often ask me, “After 15 years, do you ever get bored with BFL?” My answer is always the same. “How could witnessing miracles possibly get boring?” I don’t use the term “miracle” frivolously. I’m talking about injured soldiers who reached the point of not wanting to be here anymore, who are now building the most beautiful families and the future of Israel. Sometimes, with all of our planning and programs, I still sit back and wonder, how is this actually happening?
I want to share with you a video that I believe gives a glimpse into the essence of BFL. A number of years ago, it became clear that we weren’t just helping an injured soldier. Rather we were helping to save marriages and entire families, and we started to build programming that addressed the families’ needs. Two months ago, 25 of our members, together with their Bnei Mitvah-aged sons and daughters, set out on a three-day trek from the Medditerean Sea to the Sea of Galilee. During the trek, we asked the soldiers and their children to share with each other things that normally don’t get discussed in family life. Specifically, we asked our soldiers to talk with their children about what it has been like to carry their injuries and to listen to their children talk about their experiences, wants, and needs. The trek was a perfect metaphor for their journey through life together, and I will let the power of this amazing clip speak for itself.
There is a beautiful verse in Isaiah, “I will pour my spirit on your seed and my blessing on your children. And they will spring as trees from amongst the grass.” Through this trek, our soldiers told us that they learned something new about creating the fertile ground of grass for our children to grow. They learned that being a parent wasn’t just about sharing love and encouragement but that through sharing their own struggles and vulnerability, they were not only teaching their children how to face life’s inevitable challenges but allowing their children to feel closer to them than ever before.
Shabbat Shalom from Israel,
Yaniv