I'll be right here waiting for you....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLi_osYNsOU (To be enjoyed after you read the post.  Trust me, it'll be worth it!)

Many moons ago when Richard Marx was a new and hip artist (wow, I just dated myself...), I heard this song and it resonated deeply.  Its a song about a heartbroken man who wonders how he can go on without his love, how he can think and breathe and exist without his love.  Oceans separate them and day after day he feels like he's going crazy without her by his side.  Somewhere through the song he decides that he's got to take the chance and do what it takes to be near his beloved.  Powerful stuff.

For me, the song has always really been a duet sung by Israel and the Jewish people.  We tell Israel that we have to go on though we miss Her terribly, and She says that no matter what, She'll be right there waiting.  We realize that our love and passion are too intense to sidestep, and Israel patiently tells us to take our time, to visit when we're ready.  At some point in time we realize that the separation is killing us and that we need to be together.  Israel sits quietly, knowingly, gratefully. 

I wish I could put my finger on what Her magic is all about, how it is that physical Land draws us in so intently and spiritually.  Israel, I'm heeding your call, acknowledging your beckoning. 

If in the end I'm with you, I'll take the chance.