Nathan’s April 2023 Newsletter
“If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must go beyond them.” Bruce Lee
I feel like I just left my own Egypt. The holiday of Passover that just ended is all about breaking through our mental and physical limits. These last six months have been tough on my family and me. I spoke about this in my October post, but we finally, and I mean finally, found a place to live. To say that it was difficult is an understatement. We thought it would take a month or two at most to find a place but everything we thought was an option fell through last minute. The housing market here is nuts, with minimal supply and much demand. The boutique hotel we were staying at told us we needed to be out by Passover, and it is funny how G-d maneuvers the plan to work out precisely as needed.
This was a big test for us. We were living in a two-bedroom place that was not functional for a home with bedrooms on the opposite side of the living quarters, with three young kids, without any of our stuff (we brought about ten boxes, and everything else was put in storage). In addition, hotel guests were staying in the rooms below us, making it even harder.
There were many challenges, whether sleeping with the kids (not really sleeping) or trying to work from different office spaces. While I’m glad I was able to get this personal growth experience, I’m super excited to finally be settled in one place where the kids can be kids and I have my office back. As for the sleeping situation, we will see, as the kids are not so excited to be sleeping in their own rooms again, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do.
I’m glad this test is over, but I know it was all for a good reason and added a lot of growth to our family’s ability to thrive in any situation. I want to thank my wife Yehudis, who was a trooper during these last six months, taking on much more work and allowing me to get some sleep, working late during these busy months while still hosting lots of guests for Shabbat.
Now it’s time for the GCI to break through all limits, and construction is moving at a great pace. Lior spent some time in Israel. He was working on our equipment tender, went through the building plans in-depth, and we got the ball moving on the organic farm. We also met some great up-and-coming companies, visited the Malka Brewery, and did a walkthrough of the campus. I love it when Lior visits as the more we discuss the vision for the GCI, the clearer it gets that we are on the right track, creating a game-changing institute.
This will be a quick month considering we just had Passover, and next week will be celebrating Israel’s 75th anniversary. Jewish National Fund USA is bringing a huge group from the US, so far, 175 people have registered for the festivities, and I’m looking forward to celebrating with everyone during this special time.
Have a great rest of the week, and always remember our limits are usually created internally, and it’s up to us to break through all barriers. Here’s to success in all that you do!
L’chaim!
Nathan