golda meier, the former prime minister of israel was asked what was her greatest accomplishment. she did not hesitate, "raising my daughter" she said. marriage and children expand your world and engage you more fully in it. there is a family burger joint i like whose founder put a little book out of homespun wisdom. he says to be happy requires three things. number one, someone to love, number two, something to look forward to and number three something to do. in other words work. you might be inclined to think that a garden of eden life be preferable to working at job but you would be wrong. i'm convinced adam and eve would have been bored to tears if they had stayed in that part, no kids, no job. i think adam being made to grow food by the sweat of his brow was a blessing, not a curse. there's a lot not to like about a job -- the early alarm clock the rush-hour traffic, the stress. work engages you in life to come to know more people and to learn the intricacies of the enterprise that employs you. do not waste time bemoaning your job. do not skip with the minimum of effort. div

i came to know israel as a young man through these incredible images of kibbutzes, golda meier, israel overcoming incredible odds in the '67 war. the notion of pioneers that set out to not only safeguard a nation, but to remake the world. not only to make the desert bloom, but to allow their values to flourish. to ensure that the best of judaism would thrive. those values in ways came to be my own values. they believed the story of their people gave them a unique perspective among the nations of the world. a unique moral authority and responsibility that comes from having once been a stranger yourself. to a young man like me, grappling with his own identity, recognizing the scars of race here in this nation and inspired by the civil rights struggle the idea that you could be grounded in your history, as israel was, but not be trapped by it, to be able to repair the world, that idea was liberating. the example of israel and its values was inspiring. so when i hear some people say that disagreements over policy belie a general lack of support of israel, i must object. and, i object force

i came to know israel as a young man through these incredible images of kibbutzes, golda meier, israel overcoming incredible odds in the '67 war. the notion of pioneers that set out to not only safeguard a nation, but to remake the world. not only to make the desert bloom, but to allow their values to flourish. to ensure that the best of judaism would thrive. those values in mnay way -- many ways came to be my own values. they believed the story of the people gave them a unique perspective among the nations of the world. a unique moreal authority and responsibility that comes from h aving once been a stranger yourself. to a young man like me, grappling with his own identity, recognizing the scars of race here in this nation and inspired by the civil rights struggle, the idea that you could be grounded in your history, as israel was, but not be trapped by it, to be able to repair the world, that idea was liberating. the example of israel and its values was inspiring. so when i hear some people say that disagreements over policy belie a general lack of support of israel, i must object. i