Jerusalem, If I Forget You...

Drive into Jerusalem in a really tall bus, so you can see everything embedded in the hills around you, and listen to the song "Jerusalem" by Matisyahu:

Jerusalem, if I forget you, fire not gonna come from me tongue. Jerusalem, if I forget you, let my right hand forget what it's supposed to do.
In the ancient days, we will return with no delay/Picking up the bounty and the spoils on our way/We've been traveling from state to state/And them don't understand what they say/3,000 years with no place to be/And they want me to give up my milk and honey/Don't you see, it's not about the land or the sea/Not the country but the dwelling of his majesty
[chorus]
Rebuild the temple and the crown of glory/Years gone by, about sixty/Burn in the oven in this century/And the gas tried to choke, but it couldn't choke me/I will not lie down, I will not fall asleep/They come overseas, yes they're trying to be free /Erase the demons out of our memory/Change your name and your identity/Afraid of the truth and our dark history/Why is everybody always chasing we/Cut off the roots of your family tree/Don't you know that's not the way to be
[chorus]
Caught up in these ways, and the worlds gone craze/Don't you know it's just a phase/Case of the Simon says/If I forget the truth then my words won't penetrate/Babylon burning in the place, can't see through the haze/Chop down all of them dirty ways,/That's the price that you pay for selling lies to the youth/No way, not ok, oh no way, not ok, hey/Aint no one gonna break my stride/Aint no one gonna pull me down/Oh no, I got to keep on moving/Stay alive
Jerusalem, if I forget you, fire not gonna come from me tongue. Jerusalem, if I forget you,let my right hand forget what it's supposed to do.

You will cry. I did.

Random emotional-ness round 2 came at the Kotel that night; as soon as I stepped onto the women's side, my friend Chelsea and I lost it. Needless to say we recieved many concerned looks, but I cannot even describe to you the power of seeing hundreds of people united under the Jerusalem sky as a praying, swaying, unified mass of Jewishness, a humming ball of energy focused towards this one rock wall. I think what brought the tears on for me was seeing a group of female Israeli soldiers dancing and singing in a circle with so much Ruach- these women fight for what the Kotel stands for; they fight for my religion, they are willing to die for it. That was a scary thought. The other thing that scared me was the fact that I have no idea how much longer the Kotel will be there. I learned yesterday that the same day we went there were riots and rocks thrown over the wall. I am so glad I was able to go in peace and experience that moment. Using my excellent maneuvering skills acquired from attending many concerts and being short, I eventually pushed to the front of the crowd. I closed my eyes and rested my head on the cool rock that absorbed so many thoughts before mine and meditated for a good long while. I said the Amidah and walked backwards away from the wall, a custom I really liked. I didn't want to turn away from it, I didn't want to leave; I never want to forget that image of the Kotel on Shabbat.