ביום טובה, היה בטוב. וביום רעה ראה.

גם את זה לעומת זה עשה אלקים. (קהלת ז:יד)


There is a chassidic tradition that this פסוק means that there is a balance of good and evil in the world - counterfeits, if you will. One stands against the other, and the balance of forces evens things out. Therefore, the more something is good, or right, or real, the more forces of evil, or wrong, or falseness there are arrayed against it.
It depends which side of the equation you're on. Therefore, on a good day, be (in the) good. And on a bad day, look. See. Find the good that is valiantly trying to break through.

The emotional roller coaster that lead to this decision has been a wild ride, filled with ups and downs and barrel rolls and gut flipping loops. There are days the clarity shines through, the world is aligning itself to let our dreams come true, and everyone flows. We find what we need, meet people who are positive and encouraging, find leads about communities and resources, and we're ready to grab life by the horns.
And then there are days the negativity sets in, the doubts creep up, the naysayers get vocal, and the never ending paperwork requirements and the Sisyphean task of tracking down what we need and getting it done weighs down on us. It can feel like we will never finish, that the ridiculous backflips to track down paperwork from the French Riviera and downtown Manhattan won't work, not to mention the daunting task of moving somewhere with no job waiting for you, a different language spoken there, and no mint or winning lottery ticket in your pocket, all, while both of us hold down jobs and parent our beautiful little children.

But if you can quiet the voices both inside and outside your head, you can see. You can see that Israel is your Place, the only Place you can have a life in, and that whatever the cost of passage is, it will be worth it. You can rise above the fear and doubt, back to the good side of things, and re-find the Good that is the ארץ חמדה, טובה, ורחבה - wide enough to accommodate you, when you can see its Goodness.