Israel is About Hope

In honor of today — Yom haAtzmaut, Israel independence day — let me offer you a Hebrew lesson.

You already know the first word. Tikvah. “Hope.”

Tikvah is related to the Hebrew word kav, which means rope. Hope is the rope upon which we climb. Hope is the rope that binds us together.

Kav can also mean to bring together — like the waters of a mikveh, a ritual bath used for purification.

Now, the second word — mashber. It means “crisis.” It seems to be the eternal Jewish condition. The definition of a Jewish text message: “Start worrying. Details to follow.”