Of Love and Sadness...

I went to say good-bye to someone to whom I last spoke to almost three months ago, just before my unexpected visit to the Tomb of David in January. He - an atheist guarding one of the famous Christain sites - warned me then, jokingly, not to convert anymore and to watch out. Boy, it seems like years and years ago, he said. I see your eyes are shining, it got to you, didn't it? I told you this city was dangerous for non-Jews...

It was Palm Sunday the day before yesterday. Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem - the dream of all pilgrims, the joy of all locals of the Latin rite, another headache for the police and the bread of all journalists covering religious affairs. We were singing, dancing, waving the palm branches, and even whole palm trees, jumping, hugging, playing the drums, the guitars and whatever reminded of a musical instrument...

In our Bibles, the heading for the story of Jesus's entry into Jerusalem usually says The Triumphant Entry. It is a convention that seldom makes us think what riding on a donkey really meant. The truly triumphant entry would have been on a horse. This was a humble entry. The King entered His City as a humble servant.

I think about the hundreds and hundreds of years when Christians - and others - were not allowed to ride on noble animals, such as horses and camels: " The infidel subject of our Sovereign cannot mount a horse, but is allowed a donkey or a mule..." Lord, you have been riding the donkey with your children for hundreds of years... Do you pity them when they shout "release to us Barrabas, the rioter!", in their confusion? There is so much pain here - alongside so much goodness.

I spoke to a friend yesterday, as we were having our farewell dinner. In a situation like this, you are forced to take sides, she said again. You are forced to. I remember you saying that - and I used to be so proud of myself for never being good at taking sides - but you were right. You were right. You are forced to. She saw the sadness in my eyes, as I was trying to say that I don't want to, I didn't want to choose this side... But you see, she said softly, you are in love. Do you think we can choose whom we fall in love with? People have come from other parts of the world and have fallen in love with someone from different culture, race and religion - and they were happy, and they loved. You love these people now. This is where your heart is. And when you love, everything changes... I sensed a wall was between us, a wall that even our love for each other and our love for God could not penetrate - a wall of history, and wars, and lies, and points of view, and all those shades of gray... But everyone who has loved them has had such a hard time, I protested weakly. Oh, no, you are wrong about that, she said, you are wrong...