It’s coming soon.

In just a couple hours sirens will sound across the nation of Israel. The piercing shriek reminding us of all those who have fallen in Israel’s defense can be heard from all cities and towns in our land.

It matters not whether those who hear pretend to ignore the call and what it represents or break down in tears thinking of the ultimate sacrifice that so many have made. The fact of the matter is that tonight, the very land calls out to its sons and daughters and forces us to remember.

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By the comments I received – both written and in person – I feel the need to follow up on my post about the Tiveria Marathon. I would not want anyone to think that I believed for one second that finishing the race was more important than preserving my life and health. Besides being against Torah law, it is common sense that you do not place yourself in a dangerous situation.

So isn’t running 42 kilometers by definition dangerous? Actually, not as much as you would believe. Hundreds of thousands of people around the world run marathons and the vast majority are fine except for some temporary aches. (If you are interested, here is an article on the subject: Are Marathons Dangerous? )

Serious medical issues during marathons are rare. With the right preparation, a marathon should be an event that you can look back on all your life with pride and a fond memory. I encourage people to set this goal and then take the time to learn about what it takes. Please don’t take my description of the 2010 Tiveria Marathon as a universal account of what will happen to you.

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Which is the stronger feeling: pain or pride?

Yesterday I completed the Tiveria Marathon for the second time.

It was a day that I will never forget.

And you know what? I’ll wait until the end of this post to determine if that is a good thing.

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A reader sent in a comment to last week’s post. I had written about how wonderful it was to go for a run in this amazing country. His comment was:

Well look at the price paid by the Palestinians for all these accomplishments-they live in a prison and all efforts to create that 2 state solution seem to go nowhere. The Palestianians [sic] have lost and continue to lose their land, crops and homes to settlements. The Palestianians [sic] are abused , attacked and terorized by settlers with no protection from the Isreali [sic] police and the IDF.

Germany achieved many scientific and engineering marvels and look at the price paid by the peoples of the world during WWI and WWII by the German war machine and aggession [sic].

I don’t know who wrote the comment, but I appreciate the opportunity to set the record straight.

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Run.

Put on a pair of sneakers and just run.

Running in Israel is more than just exercise. Every step you take, every hill, every trail has some history behind it.

Get your heart beating fast, it feels good. Gaze out at the views and think how incredibly fortunate you are to be right here, right at this point in history.

Work up a sweat and reflect how many people throughout history longed for every square inch of land passing below your feet. Reflect on how many people made the ultimate sacrifice so that you could live here freely.

Run faster with your arms pumping.  You feel like nothing can stop you as the kilometers fall away one by one.

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