December 10, 2014 — I use the term “I love you” quite a lot. And I believe the people know what I mean when I say it.

When the T-Mobile guy says he can send me a replacement phone for my broken one, I might shout “I love you!” Of course I don’t mean “I love you.” What I mean is, I am so happy that you met my needs.

What I really love is me, not you!

Same with when I say “I just love chicken!”  I don’t love chicken. Because if I really loved chicken, I would take care of it, not eat it. On the other hand, when I look in my child’s eyes after he has just had a temper tantrum, I am able to say with all sincerity, “I love you.” That is real love.

There are so many amazing women on this Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project trip and here in Israel. We all look so different on the outside, and we learned yesterday some pearls of Torah wisdom that explain the differences in our personalities, desires, preferences, and paradigms. Yet we have so much common ground. Our “spiritual DNA” bonds us as sisters.

One of the ladies from my city, Denver, is so funny, and I heard myself say “I love you … but not like chicken!”  And another woman has such an amazing positive attitude. Despite tripping at the airport and having a bruised knee, she has be able to rise to the occasion and enjoy our busy schedule, always with a smile on her face.  “I love you … but not like chicken!” I said to her.

There is a real love among us. A unity among us. The Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt because of the women. And, once again, we will be redeemed. I can feel it! Can YOU feel the MOMENTUM?

[alert type=”info” close=”true”]Chaya Parkoff and Ellyn Hutt are leading a contingency of 13 Jewish women from Denver this month for the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project. Chaya will be blogging about the trip and the experiences of the group here on The Jewish Experience Blog. If you’re interested in joining the next JWRP trip, contact us![/alert]